Chandra Flood Warden Update

Significant rainfall fell across the Wessex area overnight, with some locations recording over 50mm. This follows two weeks of prolonged heavy rainfall and a succession of three named Storms – Goretti, Ingrid and Chandra. River levels are high across Wessex, and the impacts are being felt widely. Several main roads have been flooded and are closed, and we have had some reports of property flooding.

Our staff are working closely with emergency services and councils to respond. Thank you for your continued support to keep your communities safe. You can stay up to date on the latest flood warnings here: https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/.

After a flood

We have attached a guide to recovery actions that anyone affected can take. We would appreciate it if you could share this with your communities. This includes information on insurance and cleaning up. We would encourage you to upload this to Town & Parish Council websites and community social media pages.

Reporting Flooding

Please remind your communities to report flooding to us as soon as they can if their home or business has flooded. We understand it is a difficult time when people are affected by flooding however, we would encourage those affected to report property flooding as close to the event as possible: https://www.gov.uk/report-flood-cause Environment Agency Incident Hotline 0800 80 70 60

Reporting flooding helps us to understand the impacts on properties or communities and prioritise our response. By gathering information, specific issues impacting residents and communities are identified and recurring issues highlighted. The evidence from flood reporting is crucial in planning effective maintenance and justifying business cases for potential long-term solutions.

Once affected residents are able, we ask that they please submit a full report to floodreport.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/. This tool is available for residents across Wessex (the service is hosted by Dorset Council but is available for other local authority areas). The information provided is then shared with the risk management authorities to ensure it goes to the correct organisation depending on the source and impact of flooding. If the portal opens on the wrong FORT region, don't worry, you will be redirected when you identify a property affected.

Businesses

Many businesses have also been affected by flooding, with impacts not only on property but on livelihoods and the wider community. Flood Mary has produced a Business Flood Handbook, and The Flood Hub also has resources about business resilience and recovery.

Please direct any enquiries to our local customers and engagement team [email protected]. For enquiries related to Flood Warnings, preparedness, and resilience, you can contact the Flood Resilience team at [email protected].