49640689 – sandbags outside front door of flooded house
Whenever floods hit an area, it is remarkable how the people of the local communities come together to support and help each other, bringing their local knowledge and insight to help and direct the emergency services so that everyone can be accounted for, properties made safe and meals and interim lodgings arranged! In the following days, you see how neighbours and friends rally to help with the clean-up and make sure that essential supplies are conveyed to elderly and less-able residents.
With the increase in the number and severity of floods over recent years, many local communities in known (and lesser-known) flood-risk areas have grouped together to take a more proactive stance to flood prevention and contingency planning for if the worst happens.
Some communities work like this as part of a village residents’ association, while others have formalised themselves into flood action groups. These associations and groups focus on investigating specific risks for their area, get expert advice and guidance and undertake recommended flood prevention activities to protect their homes, retail or business properties and community facilities.
The National Flood Forum also supports communities in forming these flood action groups and will provide relevant tools and access to information, sharing initiatives developed in other regions and bringing in the right professionals needed to offer advice and guidance.
At Fairweather Insurance Services, our experienced and knowledgeable team are increasingly finding that, in spite of the reduction in flood risk resulting from these localised community initiatives, residents and business owners are still struggling to obtain flood insurance cover and, even if the cover is available, the premium of excess level can often be prohibitive. A major benefit of working with us is that we are able to assess the risk of a group of properties, typically around 10, look at the protection measures that have been undertaken, and potentially provide insurance as a group.
A key differentiator of Fairweather Insurance is that, unlike many other brokers, we are able to arrange customised policies, backed by one of Britain’s largest insurance companies.
Our team will be happy to review your situation, so give our specialist team a call today for a confidential, no obligation discussion.
