Flooding

Flooding can happen in Scotland at any time of the year and has the potential to be devastating for those affected, from the loss of possessions, destruction of homes and businesses, to life changing injuries or loss of life. The impact on the wider community can last for a long time after the event itself.

According to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), a partner of Water Safety Scotland (WSS), an estimated 284,000 homes, businesses and services are identified as at risk of flooding in Scotland. It is likely that you or someone you know will be affected by flooding at some point in life. Flooding is a key concern of WSS because of the increased risk of drowning, thus, it is important that in the event of a flood, you know what to do and how to be prepared in order to stay safe.

WSS supports the Scottish Government’s Ready Scotland campaign and all the great work done by organisations such as the Scottish Flood Forum and SEPA to offer invaluable advice to those at risk and affected by flooding in Scotland.

How to minimise the risk

The key to minimising the risk, is to be informed about the risks of flooding and know how to keep yourself and your family as safe as possible during a flood event.

They key advice from WSS and our partners is as follows:

• Check the flooding risk of your postcode through the SEPA website 
• Sign up to Floodline - Floodline provides live flooding information and advice on how to prepare for or cope with the impacts of flooding
• Prepare an emergency flood kit - you can find out how best to do this through following ScotFloodForum
• Follow Ready Scotland to learn more about how to prepare for flooding and how to minimise the damage flooding can cause.
• Keep an eye on the weather and flood warnings through the Met Office website.
• Never drive through floods – Don’t drive through flooded roads particularly if the water is moving. The water me be deeper than you think and you could be putting yourself or others in real danger of getting stuck or swept away.