How to Flood-Proof Your Home Before UK Winter Storms — SkimNews
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- UK flood experts are warning households to prepare for a potentially destructive winter of storms and heavy rain driven by the climate crisis and a record-breaking El Niño, with the flood season just weeks away.
- Mary Long-Dhonau of the Flood Mary campaign advises checking exterior brickwork and mortar for cracks, clearing gutters, installing water butts, and replacing impermeable paving with rain gardens and water-thirsty plants to slow runoff.
- Standard airbricks can let thousands of litres of water into a home per hour, so experts recommend replacing them with Kitemarked self-closing versions or fitting temporary manual covers before a flood hits.
- Flood tape is a cheaper and more effective alternative to sandbags for sealing airbricks, doors and windows, according to Long-Dhonau, who recommends keeping supplies on hand rather than waiting for a flood warning.
- Sewage backflow through toilets can be blocked with non-return valves or toilet bungs — and in an emergency, Long-Dhonau suggests pushing a deflated child's football down the toilet and pumping it back up, then taping the seat down.
- Tracey Garrett, chief executive of the National Flood Forum, said increasingly intense rainfall and climate change mean historical flood patterns can no longer be assumed to predict future ones, making preparation more important than ever.
- Flood Re's Kelly Ostler-Coyle said practical steps — raising plug sockets, using flood-resilient flooring, raising furniture on buckets or trestles — can save thousands of pounds and shorten recovery time after flooding.
Why it matters: With the UK's flood season weeks out and El Niño intensifying winter storm risk, millions of homes face flooding exposure. Practical preparation — from checking government flood-risk maps to installing self-closing airbricks and flood tape — can prevent thousands of pounds in damage and speed recovery, per Flood Re. The expert consensus: households should not wait for a flood warning before acting.
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