Flood resilience campaigner warns households to be aware of flood risk from thawing snow

From snow blizzards and freezing rain, to now the threat of flooding from the thaw; the UK really has been through the mill over the last week

Mary Dhonau OBE, chief executive of the Know Your Flood Risk campaign and flood resilience champion, is warning households to be prepared for the thaw, which will occur following the spell of freezing wintry conditions that we have witnessed across the country this week.

With the Environment Agency currently issuing 15 flood warnings and 35 flood alerts (at the time of writing), Mary Dhonau is warning people living in the affected areas to seek advice on what property-level measures can be taken, to prepare in advance of the thawing conditions, which will help reduce the potential risk of flooding or limit the resulting effects of a flood.

Confirms Mary Dhonau OBE: “From snow blizzards and freezing rain, to now the threat of flooding from the thaw; the UK really has been through the mill over the last week and the elements continue to create difficulties for many areas of the country.

"When I was first flooded during the great floods of 2000, there was no support or advice anywhere; I didn’t know where to turn. As a result of that, I was determined that future flood victims and those at risk have the tools needed to help them reduce their risk of flooding at a property level, as well as have access to common sense flood recovery advice.

"I have authored several guides, which are free to download from the Know Your Flood Risk website. The Homeowners Guide to Flood Resilience and also the Flood Recovery Guide offer impartial, helpful guidance and tips for anyone concerned about flood risk. Having been flooded myself on many occasions, I speak from experience and suggest that anyone living in an area deemed to be ‘at risk’ from floods, takes steps now, to avoid the heartache that it causes.”

The Know Your Flood Risk Campaign aims to raise awareness of the risk of flooding from all sources. It is one of the UK’s most recognised online sources for helping people find out the flood risk related to their current or future homes.

The free Homeowners Guide to Flood Resilience is available to download from here. The Flood Recovery Guide is available to download here.

For more information, visit www.knowyourfloodrisk.co.uk, or follow the campaign on Twitter.

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Notes to Editors:

* At the time of writing – current flood alerts and warnings from the Environment Agency can be found here: https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/warnings

Interviews with Mary Dhonau OBE:
Should you be interested in speaking with Mary to discuss the topic of flooding from thawing snow and frozen surface water, Mary can be contacted directly on 07754 592534.

About Know Your Flood Risk:
Know Your Flood Risk is a campaign raising awareness of the risk of flooding from all sources - not just from the river, sea, or a visible water course. The majority of flood insurance claims are for surface water flooding where there is no obvious water to alert a homeowner to the potential risk. The Know Your Flood Risk campaign provides essential practical guidance to enable homeowners and property professionals to mitigate against and prepare for the risk of being flooded. More information is available at www.knowyourfloodrisk.co.uk.

Editor’s Contact:
Peppa Sheridan
Peptalk Communications
peppa@peptalkpr.co.uk