The Environment Agency website https://www.gov.uk/browse/environment-countryside/flooding-extreme-weather has links for signing up for flood warnings, preparing for a flood and getting help during and after, and checking flood warnings and river levels.

Flood events affect each community differently, so local knowledge and experience can be helpful. Residents’ email groups or websites may be useful sources of detailed information specific to your area.

Oxfordshire Strategic Flood Management Strategy: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk and search for Local Flood Risk Management Strategy.

Flood preparedness

Oxfordshire County Council has a ‘flood toolkit’ at www.oxfordshirefloodtoolkit.com. This site has a great deal of information on how to prepare for flooding.

Oxford City Council flooding advice and links: https://www.oxford.gov.uk/info/20094/flooding

Making your home resilient

https://floodmary.com/ is a reputable and comprehensive site offering guides and resources on many aspects of flood resistance and resilience.

The resistance and resilience page on this website gives links to additional resources and advice based on our personal experience.

Insurance and compensation

The Association of British Insurers publishes comprehensive guidance on flooding and flood insurance: https://www.abi.org.uk/products-and-issues/topics-and-issues/flooding/

Flood Re, a joint initiative between the government and insurers, aims to make flood cover affordable: https://www.floodre.co.uk/ The scheme works by your insurer having the ability to cede the flood cover element of your home cover to Flood Re. The flood premium is then a set price based on your Council Tax banding. This strictly applies to domestic properties only and does not include any building constructed after 2009. The scheme is however scheduled to conclude in 2039, at which point Flood Re will exit the market and flood cover will revert back to risk-reflective pricing. Insurers are already focusing on ways top encourage Property Flood Resilience in anticipation of this transition.

If your property has been flooded, insurers often pay to replace ‘like with like.’ But after a flood, it makes a lot of sense to ‘build back better’ so that your property will not be damaged in future floods. You may have to pay to make your home more flood resilient, but it is worth asking if your insurer will cover ‘build back better’ in your policy. Click here for the list of insurance providers that currently provide the Build Back Better option.

If you suffer from sewer flooding you may be entitled to compensation from Thames Water. Check their website https://www.thameswater.co.uk/

Asbestos

There is no known safe level of asbestos exposure. Because of this health threat, it is highly recommended that flood-damaged asbestos-containing material be repaired, enclosed, encapsulated or safely removed. The Mesothelioma Center in the US has created a free Asbestos and Natural Disasters Guide which might be useful to homeowners who are unsure of what to do following flood damage.:
https://www.asbestos.com/asbestos/natural-disasters/
https://www.asbestos.com/support/natural-disaster-emergency-plan/