Flooding Advice

Flooding can strike at any time

Sandbags are a very effective way of containing flood water

There are three Transportation Depots in Fife

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR HOME AND GET HELP IN AN EMERGENCY

Flooding can happen suddenly and with little warning. If you live in an area prone to flooding, follow these preventative actions to help protect your property, belongings and your family. You can also print off a handy leaflet with all this information for future reference - just click the link under 'publications' on the right of this page.

Before an emergency occurs:

• Insurance - check your policy provides adequate cover including building replacement, structural repairs and full contents including personal valuables.
• Maintenance - maintain your property in good order with brick/ stonework properly sealed.
• Utilities - learn where to turn off your water, electricity and gas supplies.
• Sandbags - buy sandbags or other flood protection devices to block doorways and airbricks. For information on flood protection products such as flood barriers and airbrick covers see the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency's (SEPA) website: www.sepa.org.uk.
• Essential items - identify what you would need to take with you and where you would go in the event your home was flooded. Remember to make arrangements for any pets, too.
• Vehicles - identify a safe place on higher ground where you can move your vehicles.
• Damage limitation - move furnishings, household items, food and personal possessions upstairs is possible.
• Evacuation - if you find yourself in difficulty, alert the emergency services so you can be evacuated. If you decide to stay with family or friends, tell the police where you are. 

Practical advice for tenants and homeowners:

• If water is coming into your property... use a bucket to collect the water and contain it as much as possible with towels.
• If your ceiling is bulging with water... try piercing a small hole in the bubble to release the water until a more permanent repair can be carried out. Remember to put a bucket or basin under the hole to collect the water.
• If water is coming through a light fitting... leave it alone, and call an electrician to isolate the electricity to the light.
• If drains are overflowing in your street... call Fife Council on 08451 550099. If it's an emergency, it will be attended to as soon as possible. If the water is not causing an obstruction to traffic or flooding a house or garden someone will attend to it within the nect 10 working days.
• If your whole street is under water and every property is affected... contact Fife Fire & Rescue Service who will attend as soon as possible.
• If you need sandbags...and are at immediate risk of flooding contact us on 08451 550099 and we'll deliver them to you resources allowing, or you may be able to arrange uplift from your nearest depot. Limited supplies mean we can't guarantee to respond to all requests, Residents are expected to undertake reasonable measures to protect their properties. You can buy (empty) sandbags at most DIY stores.

Preparing an emergency flood pack:

One of the most important things you should do if you live in a flood-risk area is to prepare a flood emergency pack. The pack should contain enough of the following items to last for at least two days:

• Lighting (i.e. candles or a torch including spare batteries)
• Cooking equipment (such as a gas camping stove or portable bbq)
• Water (for drinking and washing)
• Food, plus a tin opener, utensils and cutlery
• A portable radio and spare batteries
• Blankets and pillows
• Waterproof clothes, wellies, spare dry clothes and shoes
• First aid kit and essential medication
• Personal documents (passports, driving licences, credit cards, insurance policies, mortgage deeds, rent missives, birth certificates, etc)
• List of useful phone numbers (inc. insurance company, Fife Council and the SEPA Floodline 0845 988 1188)
• Mobile phone and charger

There are plenty of ways to stay informed. Find the latest advice:

Online www.fifedirect.org.uk/winter

Online www.fifedirect.org.uk/flooding

Social media facebook.com/fifecouncil and twitter.com/fifecouncil

Radio Kingdom FM (95.2 & 96.1), Forth One (97.3) and Tay FM (96.4 & 102.8)

Phone 08451 55 11 99 (or 08451 55 00 99 out-of-hours)

Council depots are located at:

Cupar Trading Estate, KY15 4SX. Tel. 08451 555 555 ext.859034

Strathore Road, Thornton, KY1 4DF. Tel. 08451 555 555 ext.849165

Carnock Road, Dunfermline, KY12 9AX. Tel 08451 555 555 ext. 899020

REMEMBER

Phone lines to the emergency services and Fife Council will be extremely busy during a flooding emergency. Only phone them if you really need to.

Up-to-the-minute information is also available from SEPA at www.sepa.org.uk/flooding or via their Floodline 0845 988 1188.

Flooding can also bring health risks. For information on how to protect yourself go to www.direct.gov.uk or www.hpa.org.uk

SEPA: National Flood Risk Assessment

SEPA is working closely with the Scottish Government, local authorities and Scottish Water to implement a new approach to manage flood risk in Scotland. The National Flood Risk Assessment is a new risk-based approach to managing the impacts of flooding. It will help to target resources in areas where they can have the greatest impact. Further information on flood risk management planning and how this will be practically implemented is available on SEPA's website: www.sepa.org.uk/flooding.

See Also

Useful Links

• Met Office
• SEPA - Scottish Environment Protection Agency - Flooding
• Traffic Scotland

Publications

• Flooding advice leaflet 2012 (01 Nov 2012)
• Flooding Emergency Procedures (05 Nov 2010)