It’s officially British summertime, but unfortunately, the great British weather doesn’t always reflect this. It means, that from time to time, we do see floods and witness the huge impact they can have. Sadly, business premises are not immune from flooding which is why it is so vitally important to plan ahead and reduce the threat of damage as much as possible.

Remember: water damage isn’t just a problem for your business’ building and equipment - it could impact members of your staff and customers as well.

With this in mind, we’ve put together an easy-to-digest quick planning guide, with several key points designed to help you if your business premises are impacted by floods. 

 How to reduce the risk of flooding 

Ultimately, it’s all about damage limitation and ensuring that your business can continue to operate as well and ‘normally’ as it can. 

But, what can realistically be done to face the threat of flooding head-on? Here are a few suggestions. 

• Look at introducing flood barriers/sandbags in front of doors and other access points to the building
• Anti-flood air bricks are popular at the moment and are having a positive impact in preventing water from entering buildings
• Try to move all electrical devices, key stock and contents to the first floor of your building
• Where do you keep other IT equipment and devices? Are they in a ground-floor space? If so, ensure they are moved to a higher point in the building as well
• If the land surrounding your building has any vehicles parked near it, make sure that they are moved to an area that isn’t going to be impacted by floods.
• Ensure data and software is backed up regularly and stored offsite – in a place not likely to be affected by the same event 

Emergency plans

If a flood does happen it’s important to keep staff informed as much as you can. Are they aware of your business continuity plan? Certain members of staff may even have a role in what happens next. Your flood plan should be accessible to all and available in an off-site location, just in case. 

It should cover numerous areas including: 

• Whether the business might be closed or not
• What is available to staff should they become trapped inside the building
• Advice on what to do about company vehicles
• Information about gas, water and electricity
• Guidance for contacting customers and suppliers
• Details about local authorities and other useful numbers

 In the aftermath, and as you begin your road to recovery, business interruption insurance should take care of any financial loss your business encounters.

 Plan ahead today

If you live in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland the BBC flood warnings page (which you can access here) is great to keep an eye on or bookmark.

There’s also the personal flood plan checklist from the government that you can go through here.

And don’t forget local news and radio stations that provide regular weather updates.

If you have any questions about preparing your business for floods in summer, please contact your local Towergate office where the team will be happy to help.