Family flood action plan (plus free printable checklist)

Flood warnings can feel like an awful lot to take in, especially when you are also thinking about school bags, pets and what is in the fridge. I find it much easier to start with one small question: what would make the next few hours simpler for my family?

For me, that means having the important numbers on paper, knowing where we could go if we needed to leave, and keeping a few essentials somewhere easy to reach. Not a perfect plan for every possibility. Just a sensible starting point that means less scrambling around.

I have put together this calm, step-by-step family flood action plan, along with a free two-page A4 printable at the bottom of the post. You can fill it in while the weather is fine and tuck it into your Family Emergency Folder.

1. Get to know your local flood warnings

Flooding is not only something that happens beside rivers. Heavy rain can overwhelm drains and flood streets surprisingly quickly. I would start by checking the official flood information for where you live, rather than assuming your home is too far from a river to be affected.

• Flood alert: flooding is possible. Check your plan, charge phones and keep essentials, pet leads and carriers ready.
• Flood warning: flooding is expected. Act on your plan and local instructions now. Get your family ready to leave, and move essential belongings higher only if you have time and it is safe.
• Severe flood warning: there is danger to life. Follow emergency-service instructions. Call 999 if anyone is in immediate danger; do not wait for another alert before taking action.

Those are the warning levels used in England and Wales; Scotland uses the same three levels. Northern Ireland has different local information and reporting arrangements. Not every kind of flooding comes with a warning, so take conditions around you seriously too.

For England, check your risk and sign up for warnings through the official flood information service.

In Wales, use Natural Resources Wales flood advice.

In Scotland, use SEPA Floodline.

In Northern Ireland, check nidirect flood information.

2. Write down the things you do not want to search for later

This is the part I like doing with a cup of tea, rather than a weather warning buzzing on my phone. Sit down with the other adults in your household and fill in the practical details:

• Your full address and an exact location to help someone find you.
• Your local flood information, council contact and any neighbourhood flood group.
• Your home insurer's emergency claims number and policy number.
• Where your water stopcock, electricity consumer unit and gas shut-off valve are, and how to use them safely.
• A safe place you could stay, a route that avoids flood-prone roads and someone outside the area you can update.
• Any extra help children, older relatives, disabled family members or pets would need to leave safely.

If you live in a ground-floor flat or bungalow, do not build your plan around going upstairs. Think about leaving early for a safe destination instead, following local advice.

3. If a warning arrives: people and pets first

It is tempting to start rescuing possessions straight away. I would put the people first, then the pets, then the things. There is no fixed half-hour window you can rely on: if you are told to evacuate, or your safe way out is at risk, leave rather than finishing a checklist.

1. Get everyone together and check official updates. Make sure anyone who needs help has it.
2. Bring pets indoors early if safe, and have leads or carriers ready. Take their food and any medicines with you.
3. Gather your grab bag: essential medicines, a first aid kit, phones, a charged power bank, a torch, drinking water, ready-to-eat food and warm clothing. Add baby supplies and anything specific to your family.
4. Put important documents and essential supplies in a waterproof pouch. Keep them ready to take with you, not somewhere that becomes hard to reach.
5. If there is still time and a safe route, move your car to higher ground before flooding starts. Never drive through floodwater.

If you are wondering what actually belongs in that bag, I have a separate guide to putting together a family emergency grab bag.

4. Protect your home only if it is safe

If your family is ready and you still have time, move documents, small electrical items and irreplaceable photographs upstairs or onto higher shelves. Fit flood barriers or other protection you already have, following the manufacturer's instructions. None of it is worth delaying a safe departure.

Bring in loose outdoor items only while conditions are safe. I would not send anyone outside to retrieve a bin or a garden chair once water is rising.

5. Leaving safely — and what to do if you cannot

Follow the instructions from emergency services and leave by a safe route when advised. Take your grab bag and pets, tell your out-of-area contact where you are going, and lock up only if doing so does not delay you.

If you are trapped, move to a higher safe place, call 999 and tell the operator where you are and who is with you. Follow their instructions. Do not enter an enclosed loft without a way out, and do not try to cross floodwater to rescue belongings.

6. After the water recedes, take it slowly

The water going down does not automatically mean it is safe to go home. Wait for official advice before returning, and contact your insurer before starting major clean-up work. Photograph damage if it is safe to do so.

• Have affected electrical and gas installations checked by qualified professionals before using them again.
• Keep children and pets away from floodwater and contaminated items. Wear suitable protective clothing for clean-up and wash hands thoroughly.
• Do not eat food that has been in contact with floodwater. Follow official food-safety advice about anything affected.
• Follow your water supplier's advice about drinking water. If there is a notice not to use the supply, use a safe alternative; boiling does not remove every kind of contamination.

If flooding also knocks out the electricity, keep my power cut guide and printable.

The numbers I would keep on paper

• 999 — for immediate danger to life, including being trapped by flooding.
• 0345 988 1188 — Floodline for flood information in England, Wales and Scotland; it is not an emergency rescue line.
• 0300 2000 100 — Northern Ireland Flooding Incident Line to report flooding; use 999 for immediate danger.
• 105 — to report a power cut in Great Britain. In Northern Ireland, use NIE Networks on 03457 643 643.
• Your local council, water supplier and insurer's emergency contact numbers.

Download my free Family Flood Action Plan

The two-page A4 printable brings together your household details, warning levels and an action checklist. Add your own numbers, safe destination and utility locations with a pen, then keep it somewhere everyone knows about.

You do not have to do everything today. Writing down one phone number or choosing a safe place to stay is still useful progress. A little quiet preparation now can make a difficult day easier to navigate.

For the latest safety advice, read the official guidance on what to do during a flood.