Be aware that all you hold dear can be ruined in a flash...
YOU might think the risk from flooding and heavy rainfall is over as the weather warms up and we enjoy some early spring sunshine. But, spring and summer flooding is becoming more common across the UK.
Last May, Halifax Home Insurance received 136 flood claims compared to just six during the same month the previous year.
In Birmingham, for example, more than a month’s worth of rainfall poured down in just an hour. Residents in the West Midlands reported water levels above waist height with cars disappearing below water.
In total, Halifax had 262 flood claims in 2018, up 36% from 192 in 2017. It says that flooding across parts of the UK last year was some of the most extreme it had seen and that it looks set to reoccur year-on-year.
With the frequency and severity of flooding continuing to increase, this leaves more people vulnerable to having their houses destroyed, and dealing with the emotional and financial consequences that follow.
Tim Downes, senior claims manager at Halifax Home Insurance, said: “We often associate flooding and heavy rainfall with colder, wetter months. Although the UK doesn’t have a monsoon season, the warmer spring months can also be prone to flooding.
“These are more likely to be flash floods as the land surface heats up during the day causing storms and large bursts of rain to fall within short periods of time in localised areas.”
The water poured under our doors
Roger and Susan Gilks know only too well the devastation and heartache that summer floods can cause to lives and property. The couple, who live on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall, got the shock of their lives when torrential rain and huge hailstones hit their home in July 2017. Within minutes they were helpless as water rushed in and wrecked everything. Roger, 80, explains: “We moved to the coast for a quieter pace of life, so we really were not expecting something so drastic to happen.
“It started raining and turned very heavy really quickly, along with hailstones the size of golf balls. We were worried they’d break the glass roof of our conservatory and had no idea of the devastation about to hit us. “We have a stream by our house and that was suddenly flowing really fast. Then we saw water coming over a stone wall like a waterfall and it started rushing under the bottom of the patio doors. They were sealed doors so this was a shock. It all happened within minutes and we were helpless to do anything. We grabbed everything we could and managed to save some paperwork and bits, but the ground floor was flooded and it got deeper and deeper.
“It was really scary as horrible dirty and contaminated water rushed into our home, and we couldn’t do anything to protect our possessions.
“Luckily we had reinforced the stream walls with gabion baskets, otherwise we would have suffered some structural damage. Some of the gabions got damaged but they did their job and stopped some big rocks that came down the hill towards our home from actually smashing into it.
“We didn’t want to leave our home so stayed there overnight that first evening, and our insurers, Lloyds, came out and helped us sort everything out.
“It made us realise that all those years of paying for home insurance cover and not really knowing the value of it, made it worth every penny. That hits home when you suffer something like this.”
The Gilks lived in their camper van while they waited for their home to be made habitable again.
Roger adds: “It took four months or so to get it dried out and get everything replaced, from the kitchen to carpets, flooring and doors. We had some antique bits of furniture
that had been passed down the family and we managed to get a couple of bits restored and so saved them. That helped ease some of our distress.
“It’s shocking how much damage can be done in literally a few minutes – as everything went from lovely and pleasant to total horror – that moment of panic when you realise there’s nothing you can do.
“This has brought home how important home insurance is and to ensure you are fully covered.
“It’s the only thing you can control and helps move the process of putting your life back together again without any further financial pain.”
It was scary as dirty water rushed into our home and we couldn’t do anything to protect our possessions