Flooding is one of the UK’s most common weather disasters, and this year has been no exception. As climate change continues, extreme weather is set to become more commonplace in the future, meaning that the UK will suffer more flooding events per year. Flood risk is no longer confined to colder months of the year, with floods also happening during the summer months.
According to Aviva's flood map data, almost one in three (30%) commercial properties are at risk from some type of flooding. Yet, many business owners seem unprepared or unaware of their premises' risks.
This blog examines practical steps to protect your business from floods and how to better prepare for them.
Understanding flood risk
Taking simple steps now can help to protect your business from flood risk exposures. Whilst your business may never have suffered a flood before, it is worth understanding each year the flood risk to your business. To do this, take the following steps:
- Visit the Environment Agency's website to find a wealth of flood information and if your business is at risk of flooding.
- You can check the flood risk in your local area based on your postcode on the government's website.
- Flood risk in your area is not just from rivers, so understanding your risk from surface water flooding or overwhelmed drainage systems is critical.
- If your business is at risk of flooding, sign up for flood warnings. The service is free of charge. Depending on your area, you can get warnings about flooding from rivers, the sea, or groundwater. Unfortunately, you cannot get flood warnings for surface water flooding (sometimes known as ‘flash flooding’).
Flood risk management
Flood risk management plans (FRMPs) show how organisations, stakeholders and communities will work together to manage flood risk in England. These strategic plans explain the objectives and the measures (actions) needed to manage flood risk at a national and local level. Find out more about national and local flood risk management plans up to 2027 here.
Flood protection measures
In order to prepare for flooding events, you need to ensure your business is as resilient as possible to its effects and reduce its impact. To do this, you can implement Property Flood Resilience (PFR) measures on your business premises.
These measures can cover flood resistance (keeping water out) and flood resilience (reducing damage when water enters). Here are just some of the measures you should consider taking:
Flood resistance
Flood resistance measures reduce the amount of water that gets inside a property and reduce the damage done to the building and what’s inside.
- Following some major floods, grants have been made available from the local authorities to help businesses and homes install flood resistance or resilience measures. Check with your own local authority.
- Install flood barriers, flood doors and other defences to protect your business premises from flood damage.
- Install SMART air bricks. SMART air bricks allow air to pass through, but not water and replace the standard air brick.
- Install non-return valves for bathrooms to prevent sewage from coming up through pipes.
- Review and update your flood protection measures regularly to ensure they remain effective.
- Before undertaking major renovations, it is worth getting advice from a specialist flood surveyor who can recommend the best measures for your business.
- Ensure your flood protection measures are designed to withstand the expected flood risk in your area.
Flood resilience - preparing for a flood
Flood resilience measures don’t stop flood water from entering a property but can limit the damage and make it as easy as possible to clean up and dry out the building and its contents afterwards.
These measures can reduce the time to clear up and return to business. There are a wide variety of flood resilience measures you can take, including:
- Signing up for flood warnings.
- Taking out specialist flood insurance or check if your commercial property insurance covers flood damage to buildings, contents, and stock, as well as business interruption and lost revenue cover.
- Creating a flood plan for your business (see below).
- Reviewing and update your flood emergency plan regularly to ensure it remains relevant and effective.
- Ensuring your staff are trained on the flood emergency plan and know what to do in the event of a flood for both their own safety and the business.
Moving electrical points higher up walls to avoid them being flooded. - Moving valuable equipment such as IT equipment upstairs or mount it on raised desks or shelves to reduce the risk of floodwater reaching it.
- If you store equipment and stock on the premises, install racking to keep it off the ground and safe from flood water.
- If you keep a stock of raw materials and finished products, consider how much and for how long you store these. Reducing the amount of stock on the premises will reduce the chance of it getting damaged should a flood occur.
- Consider having furniture that is easily removable from the ground floor so it can be taken upstairs.
Some flood resilient measures can be installed during the repairs arranged by your insurer or loss adjuster, and they should not significantly slow the repair process down.
While some measures may cost more or add time to the repair process, they can bring financial savings and reduce stress and inconvenience by getting your business running again.
Inform your insurance broker
If you do take steps towards improving flood resistance or flood resilience, then speak to your insurance broker to inform your insurers. Your insurer will take this into account when assessing your level of risk. It will be up to the insurer if they take these measures into account.
Insurance policies generally cover standard repairs. Installing flood resilience and resistance equipment is an investment to improve your property.
Creating a business flood plan
Just as many businesses have business continuity, health and safety and contingency plans for an emergency, they should also have flood plans. A flood plan is a written document that outlines how your business will respond to a flood.
Businesses of all sizes should consider having a flood plan, and for larger companies with multiple sites, the flood risk should be considered on a site-by-site basis.
Flood plan benefits
Creating a business flood plan can provide the following benefits to your business:
- Significantly reduce financial losses, damage to property and business interruption.
- Help compliance with regulatory requirements (for example, Occupier’s Liability Act 1984).
- Reduce exposure to civil or criminal liability.
- Enhance your company’s image and credibility with employees, customers, suppliers and the community.
- Help fulfil your moral responsibility to protect employees, the community and the environment.
- Help you to obtain insurance cover.
- Develop a flood emergency plan outlining necessary actions before, during, and after a flood.
- Include procedures for evacuating staff, securing equipment, and contacting emergency services in your flood plan.
- Test and exercise your flood plan with attention to detail to ensure it is effective.
- Review and update your flood plan regularly to ensure it remains relevant and effective.
- Use the Environment Agency’s ‘Business Flood Planning Guide’ or their business flood plan template contained in their 'Would your business stay afloat guide'.
What should a business flood plan include?
A comprehensive business flood plan should include:
- Trigger points for action that make the most sense for your plan, for example, water in the car park.
- What should happen at these trigger points and what might change if the flood worsens?
- Security procedures you might need to activate during a flood.
- A note of staff who may need assistance when flooding happens.
- Details of where a first aid kit, safety equipment, or medical supplies are located.
- Details of actions for your staff to take (consider training they may need to carry out these roles and responsibilities).
- A list of important contacts, including Floodline, building services, suppliers, and evacuation contacts for staff. This list should include contact points outside normal business hours.
- A description or map showing the locations of key property, protective materials, shut-off points for gas, electricity, and water, and details of any emergency power source.
- Basic strategies for protecting property, preventing business disruption, and assisting recovery. These can include moving equipment and furniture to higher floors, safe storage of data and information, such as customer and staff records, and moving important documents to a location where they won’t be damaged by flood water.
- Details of items that may need special protective measures, for example, hazardous or refrigerated materials, and what to do with them.
- Checklists of procedures that staff can quickly access during a flood.
What should you do if a flood hits your business?
If the worst happens and a flood hits your business, it's important to be well prepared. Read our blog ‘What should you do if your business is hit by a flood?’ The blog gives you practical guidance on steps business owners can take when flooding occurs and after suffering a flood.
The importance of business continuity planning
If your premises are at risk of flooding, you should have a clear business continuity plan. If you don’t have a plan, then consider the three stages of continuity and recovery planning here:
Emergency response: procedures that need to be put in place when an incident occurs. This may be merely how to evacuate a building dealing with a major accident.
Crisis management happens directly after the incident and involves things such as assessing damage, determining recovery options, and liaising with key people such as insurance brokers, builders, etc.
Business recovery – longer-term details of how you recover, including processes and potential timescales.
Read more about the importance of a business continuity plan here.
How an insurance broker can help you with flood risk and damage
A flood brings with it physical hazards and emotional stress. Using a professional insurance broker, such as Harborough Portas, ensures that you have someone on your side. A commercial insurance broker will:
- Provide professional and impartial advice.
- Help you to identify and manage risk through a wide variety of insurance policies.
- Have access to a wide range of different insurance products and policies, such as specialist flood insurance, business continuity insurance, and business interruption insurance policies.
- Support throughout the whole claims process. This will include dealing with the complexity of large claims, completing the necessary paperwork, negotiating settlements, providing technical advice, dealing with insurers' claims departments, and ensuring a smooth and faster claims process.
- Monitor your ongoing business needs, including the adequacy of your cover, policy terms and the changing insurance market.
- Find out more about the reasons to use a commercial insurance broker for your business insurance here.
Get help and advice from us today.
Contact us today to learn more about how Harborough Portas can help your business.
