Rural insurer looks back on last summer's floods

One year on from the devastating floods that hit much of the UK, rural insurer NFU Mutual looks back on the events of last summer.

John Kenny, Chief Claims Manager at NFU Mutual said, "When the floods hit last year, NFU Mutual put its emergency disaster plan into action to help affected policyholders immediately. Teams of claims inspectors and loss adjusters were brought in who visited the affected areas and offered reassurance and advice to customers who had been flooded. On top of this, immediate payments of £500 were given to householders to help them buy essentials in the very short term.

"Rural businesses, such as hotels, shops, offices and workshops also suffered extensive damage and we worked with policyholders to dry out and repair premises to help them get up and running again.

"Last year's floods and storms resulted in over 13,000 claims costing over £100m"

With parts of this summer expected to be wet again, NFU Mutual also advises on the measures that homeowners can take to reduce the impact of future floods.

When flooding is expected

Turn off gas, electricity and water supplies at the mains.
Unplug all electrical items and store upstairs or as high up as possible.
Contact your local council for sandbags.
Move as much furniture and electrical items as you can upstairs.
Move furniture away from walls.
Roll up carpets and rugs and put them upstairs.
Remove curtains or hang them up over the rail so they are kept above flood water.
Leave internal doors open.
Move sentimental items upstairs.
Keep important personal documents in a sealed bag, and in a safe location.

During flooding

Make sure you have important personal documents such as insurance and bank details, as well as essential contacts in the local authority and your doctor.
Don't go into rooms with standing water if the power is still turned on.
Don't use electrical appliances affected by, or in contact with, moisture.
Move your car to higher ground to avoid damage.

After flooding

Contact your insurer as soon as possible.
Do not drink tap water until the all clear is given.
Get your electrical system checked before turning back on.
If you suspect the flood water to be contaminated (by sewage, for example) discard affected items immediately.
Take photographs of damaged items as this will help with the claim.
Floor coverings should be removed to reveal bare floorboards or concrete.
Start the drying out process by removing a couple of floorboards at each end of affected ground-floor rooms.
Aid ventilation by opening windows and turning the heating on low.

Kenny continues, "Last summer's floods are a timely reminder of the importance of updating contents insurance. It is prudent to review your sums insured regularly by working out room by room how much it would cost to replace your home's contents. NFU Mutual provides an online resource to make this task simple: nfumutual.co.uk/extras/contentCalc/index.asp"