Flooding is a common, but potentially devastating source of damage to properties and businesses across the UK. Flooding sources include rivers, surface water, drainage and coasts, and the damage to a business’ property and contents can be incredible serious, as well as potentially impacting its ability to trade.

Flooding can be a devastating experience for a business – and an incredible 40% of businesses don’t or aren’t able to reopen after a flood.

Due to this potential impact, it’s important for every business to assess flood risks, mitigate flood damage and make sure they can recover as fast as possible. We're pleased to be working with Aviva, who have put together a useful document to help every business develop a Business Flood Plan. You can download the document here.

What are the potential impacts of flooding to a business?

Business can be impacted in many different ways by flooding. There’s the ‘obvious’ physical damage to property and assets, including the floodwater damaging walls, floors, stock, computers and critical business documents. But there are also impacts to the business and staff including disruption to supply chains, effects on staff, business continuity and a potentially a long and expensive recovery process.

How can business become more flood resilient?

No business wants flooding to stop them trading forever. Luckily, there are lots of ways business can help to make their business as resilient as possible to flooding damage.

These steps include:

• Find out and understand your businesses flood risk context.

This will allow you to create an effective, bespoke plan for your business. Different business locations and business types will be affected differently by flooding, so it’s important to understand your business- specific risk.

• Sign up for flood warnings

Up to date information and flood warnings will make sure you can implement any flood plan as quickly as possible. Sign up to services such as Floodline for up to date flood warnings to help protect your business.

• Get your emergency evacuation plan together

In the case of an emergency, you need your key evacuation details and procedures easily accessible and understood. Put together a plan including

• Plan / rehearse your evacuation plan.

Planning and training staff on the procedures set out in your flood plan are important ways to make sure your plan is as effective as possible. These should highlight safe exits as well as when to go, and where to go in the event of a flood.

• Put together a flood kit

Make sure your business has a flood kit safe and ready to go. This will be business specific, but can include data backups, a list of key contacts, a copy of the evacuation plan, food and supplies, keys, phone and back-up power supplies.

• List the Property Flood Resilience (PFR) Measures

List out the Property Flood Resilience (PFR) measures and actions that need to be undertaken to prepare & adapt your business.

• Make sure your business is suitable covered

Every business will have different flooding risk. Make sure your business is covered with suitable insurance cover, helping your business respond to a flooding event, and more importantly, recover as fast as possible.

Protect your business from flooding

Flooding can cause catastrophic damage to a business, but there are ways to help reduce the risk, as well as speed up recovery. These include assessing risk sufficiently, creating a thorough flood plan and sufficiently covering risk with appropriate insurance.

At Henshalls, we’re here to help. Contact us today to discuss how we can support your business with flooding cover, as well as supporting you to get back up and running in the event of any flooding incident.