Warning: include(rotator.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /usr/home2/usr/home/cheapuk/public_html/articles/home-insurance/following_the_carlisle_floods.php on line 76
Warning: include(rotator.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /usr/home2/usr/home/cheapuk/public_html/articles/home-insurance/following_the_carlisle_floods.php on line 76
Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening 'rotator.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /usr/home2/usr/home/cheapuk/public_html/articles/home-insurance/following_the_carlisle_floods.php on line 76
Following The Carlisle Floods
03 January 2006
MORE TH>N WARNS FURTHER ACTION IS NEEDED TO PREVENT SIMILAR INCIDENTS
. The Great Floods of Carlisle in January 2005 were the worst on record for over 100 years.*
. Five million people are at risk of flooding in the UK, of which 1.5 million are at high risk from flooding.*
. Climate change could cause the number of people at high risk from flooding to rise from 1.5 million to 3.5 million.
. Average flood damage to properties from a significant flood event costs £30,000, according to MORE TH>N.
It is one year on from the devastating floods in Carlisle (8/9 January 2005), which affected thousands of homeowners and businesses, many of whom are now re-building their lives back in their restored properties. These floods were the worst for a century and as concerns over climate change continue to grow, the issue of flooding needs to be tackled urgently in order to prevent future disasters of this scale.
David Pitt, Head of Insurance at MORE TH>N, comments, "The government has made real progress in addressing the issue of flood protection in England and Wales by including plans to raise investment in recent spending reviews, and acknowledging the role of the Environment Agency in the planning process. However, we can't afford to stop now, particularly with the potential for climate change to affect weather patterns drastically and cause disaster for homeowners and businesses in the future. It costs on average £30,000 after a significant flood event to get a home back to normal."
The government has committed around £570 million for flood and coastal defences for 2006/7, yet climate change studies suggest that at least an extra £10 - 30 million more is needed, year on year, starting now.** There is a real risk that flood defences being built now will not be adequate in years to come, which could increase the number of people at high risk of flooding in the UK from 1.5m to 3.5m.*
David Pitt concluded: "It is imperative that the insurance industry continues to raise these issues in the debate about the future of flood protection and continues to work closely with the government to ...cont/
ensure there is ongoing protection for homeowners and businesses. In November 2005 insurers renewed their commitment to provide flood cover where flood defences will be completed within five years, but this depends on sufficient investment and maintenance from the government into these essential defences."
As more than 2 million households in the UK are still at risk of flooding, MORE TH>N risk experts have outlined ten ways to be fully prepared this winter:
1. Follow advice, such as evacuation notifications and procedures, given by the Environment Agency (EA) in England, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in Scotland or your local council. The EA and SEPA have a 24 hour information service called Floodline available on 0845 988 1188. In Northern Ireland businesses can get information from the Rivers Agency. Advice can also be found on their websites:
. EA - www.environment-agency.gov.uk.
. SEPA - www.sepa.org.uk/flooding
. Rivers Agency - www.riversagencyni.gov.uk
2. Have sandbags - your local council may be able to provide these - and boards ready to block doors, etc - do this in good time!
3. Keep your insurance policy documents in a watertight bag in a safe place.
4. Keep a note of your insurer's Helpline number handy.
5. Prepare a 'Flood Pack' and make sure that everyone in your home or business knows where it is. The pack should include: torch, battery-operated radio (with spare batteries), first aid kit, warm clothes, blankets and bottles of water. Keep it in a safe place, upstairs if possible. If you have a mobile phone, remember to take it upstairs too, and keep it charged.
6. Think about where to park your car. Is it safe?
7. Be prepared to move furniture, paperwork and valuable items upstairs and out of danger. Remember to include items like photos that have high sentimental value and will be difficult to replace.
8. If you receive warnings of imminent flooding, be ready to
Warning: include(rotator.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /usr/home2/usr/home/cheapuk/public_html/articles/home-insurance/following_the_carlisle_floods.php on line 208
Warning: include(rotator.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /usr/home2/usr/home/cheapuk/public_html/articles/home-insurance/following_the_carlisle_floods.php on line 208
Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening 'rotator.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /usr/home2/usr/home/cheapuk/public_html/articles/home-insurance/following_the_carlisle_floods.php on line 208
switch off gas and electricity supplies and listen for advice on your local radio station. If water levels start to enter your home or business turn off the gas, and the electricity at the main fuse board.
9. Have a map of your local area handy. If you decide to evacuate, bear in mind that some local roads may already be blocked and impassable. Do not attempt to drive across flooded roads if you are able to drive round.
10. If your home or business is flooded, contact your insurance company as soon as possible. Insurance companies are there to help and will know what to do if you have been flooded.
Pre and post flood guidance is available on the MORE TH>N website.
Notes:
*According to the Environment Agency
**ABI Report, Revisiting the Partnership: Five Years on From Autumn 2000.
The MORE TH>N Flood Report Saving Homes and Businesses: managing flood risk, is available on the media centre at morethan.com.
Home contents insurance from MORE TH>N includes:
. £60,000 contents cover as standard (higher limits available on request).
. Up to £7,500 High Risk items cover for those valuable, more likely to be stolen possessions such as PCs, TVs, Cameras, Jewellery and Art (higher limits available on request).
. 'New for old' replacement of damaged or stolen goods.
. 24 hr Emergency Helpline - freephone support and advice available when it's needed, 365 days a year.
. Up to £150 Emergency Repairs benefit - we will arrange for a competent and experienced contractor to make the repairs - also includes emergency overnight accommodation.
. Children's College cover - as part of our standard cover, if a child is still living at home, their belongings in their college accommodation are protected (up to 15% of the sum insured).
. Moving Home cover - when moving home belongings are covered against loss or damage as long as professional removal contractors are used.
. Discounts for homeowners with security alarms, British Standard door and window locks and members of Neighbourhood Watch Schemes.
Warning: include(rotator.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /usr/home2/usr/home/cheapuk/public_html/articles/home-insurance/following_the_carlisle_floods.php on line 267
Warning: include(rotator.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /usr/home2/usr/home/cheapuk/public_html/articles/home-insurance/following_the_carlisle_floods.php on line 267
Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening 'rotator.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /usr/home2/usr/home/cheapuk/public_html/articles/home-insurance/following_the_carlisle_floods.php on line 267
By;- More Than Insurance high risk, home or business, home insurance, more th>n, home contents insurance, moving home, homeowners and businesses
Firework Ban. - Churchill Home Insurance Eighty Percent Of Brits Believe In Total Firework Ban.
24/10/2005
Although Brits will be going bonfire barmy this November 5th, a massive 80 percent* believe there should be a total ban on the sale of fireworks to the general public.
...
BRITS TO BIN £4 BILLION IN FESTIVE FEASTS THIS XMAS. - LloydsTSB Insurance 23rd December 2005
Despite feeling the pinch over the past year, almost two in five Brits (38 per cent) will be spending a whopping £4.4 billion on festive feasting this Christmas, but worryingly over a quarter (27 per cent) of...
Rise in Halloween horrors. - LloydsTSB Home Insurance 207/05 31 October 2005
As millions prepare for tonight's Halloween parties, Lloyds TSB Insurance is warning homeowners to brace themselves for a spate of trick or treating disasters. According to the insurer, claims for malicious damage could...
Parents are a cause for conecern. - DirectLine Insurance 04/02/2006
The state of housing inhabited by Britain’s over 60s is causing major concern to their families, according to research by Direct Line Home Response 24.
A fifth of Britons (21 per cent) said they worried about their...
Shopping starts at 50 - DirectLine Home Insurance 24/11/2005
British men are discovering the joy of shopping later in life, outspending their female counterparts by £3.3 billion a year when they hit 50, according to new research from Direct Line Home Insurance.
Following the example of...
high risk, home or business, home insurance, more th>n, home contents insurance, moving home, homeowners and businesses
