Flooding

To prepare for flooding we will:

• support local flood action groups to increase community resilience
• supply a limited number of sandbags to pre-determined locations. These will be used to protect critical assets and to support flood action groups who will distribute them to previously identified vulnerable residents. It is not possible for us to provide or deliver sandbags to individual properties that may require them during a flooding event. Sandbags can assist with flood prevention but they are only really useful for diverting moving water away from property and are not very effective with standing water. There are some new and innovative alternatives to sandbags which you can buy to protect your home. A list of suppliers can be found at www.bluepages.org.uk
• continue to look into new plant and equipment to assist communities during a flood
• provide training to councillors and staff on their roles and responsibilities in a flood
• liaise with our partners - Lancashire County Council, the Environment Agency and United Utilities - along with local Flood Action Groups to resolve flood issues that we are aware of
• host the Wyre flood forum quarterly. This is a meeting for flood groups to raise awareness, build resilience and resolve flood related issues
• proactively share messages to remind residents to be prepared through our website and our social media accounts. We also monitor and share warnings from the Environment Agency and the Met Office
• where possible continue to source external investment to reduce flood risk
• regularly review and practice our emergency plans to ensure we are able to respond to flooding

During a flood we will:

• work with the Environment Agency, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, Lancashire Police, Lancashire County Council and other appropriate agencies to help those affected
• provide regular updates on the home page of the council's website
• gather information and updates to pass on to residents as soon as possible. This will be done by your local councillor. It is not the role of a councillor to be a front line responder as this must be left to the emergency services
• send officers out into the community to assess levels of flooding and assist in the allocation of resources
• open rest centres under the direction of Lancashire Police

We cannot respond to individual messages and comments on Facebook and Twitter pages. If you need to contact us during an event please call 01253 891000 or 01253 895116 out of hours.

During an emergency we may need to draw in staff from other areas in the council. As a result some council services may be affected. Please bear with us, we will aim to resume all services as soon as possible.

Following an incident we will:

• visit affected communities and offer support and advice
• capture information about which properties have been flooded
• assist people who have been displaced from their home
• if appropriate our i-bus will be on hand at affected areas to provide residents with information and updates
• coordinate Wyre Council’s registered volunteers

Your local councillor will be on hand to provide information and updates. They can also gather feedback from residents to contribute to a councillors debriefing session after the event.