Halifax advises homeowners affected by coastal surge

As much of the east coast of England struggles to cope with the coastal surge, Halifax Home Insurance offers advice to those affected by this event.

The areas likely to be most affected are Norfolk, Suffolk, Kent and Essex.

David Rochester of Halifax Home Insurance says, "Those who are at risk can take measures to limit the damage caused to their homes by this unusual event. For customers of Halifax Home Insurance, there is a 24 hour home emergency helpline manned by fully trained colleagues who can offer useful information and advice on how to manage a home emergency such as flooding."

If you think your home is at risk:

Turn off the mains supplies of water, gas and electricity.

Unplug electrical items and store upstairs or as high as possible.

Disconnect pipes to cookers, washing machines and dishwashers to avoid damage to the pipes if appliances move during floods.

Move as much furniture as possible upstairs.

Large items that cannot be moved upstairs should be weighed down with sandbags or heavy objects to ensure they don't float around and cause further damage to property during a severe flood.

If furniture cannot be moved upstairs, empty contents of cupboards and drawers and store as high as possible.

Move rugs and curtains upstairs, or hang them up over curtain rods out of the way of water.

Keep your home insurer's policy details and telephone number to hand in case you need to make a claim following a flood.

Remember to move sentimental items such as photograph albums to a safe place as these cannot be replaced.

If your home has been flooded

Ensure mains supplies of water, electricity and gas have been checked by a qualified engineer before reconnecting.

Dry out appliances that have been affected by flood water and ensure a qualified electrician or CORGI registered gas engineer inspects them before use.

Open doors and windows to ventilate and dry out the property. Ensure your home is completely dried out before attempting any redecorating work.

Contact your insurer and report any damage caused to buildings and/or contents as soon as possible.

Take photographs of damaged items as it may help your insurer to settle a claim.

Keep any ruined property as insurers may want to inspect it.

Halifax Home Insurance offers unlimited buildings and contents cover and also provides Home Emergency Cover which – for around £4 extra a month – guarantees the provision of an approved tradesperson to make your property safe within hours. Halifax Home Insurance’s Home Emergency Cover provides protection for a wide-range of emergency repairs. The excess-free cover has a limit of £250 per insured incident and does not affect the household 'No Claims Discount'.

Homeowners wanting to find out if they are at risk can call the Environment Agency's Floodline on 0845 988 1188.

Certain inner limits apply including single item and high-risk items, money and contents in the open. Details available within policy and schedule. High-risk items are subject to limits of £1,500 per item and up to a total limit of £15,000.