Community | The Flood Hub

Community Flood Action Groups

What are Flood Action Groups?

A flood action group is a voluntary group of local residents, who meet on a regular basis, to work on behalf of the wider community to help to try and reduce the impact of future flood events. The group can focus on emergency planning, flood resilience, warning and informing and can also tackle local issues, whilst providing a unified voice for the community to communicate ideas and queries to others.

Each group decides on its own roles, responsibilities, aims and objectives.

The roles of a flood action group could include:

Spread awareness of flood risk within the community.
Monitoring local conditions e.g. community volunteers keeping an eye out for blocked drains.
Develop and review a community flood plan.
Looking out for vulnerable members of the community.
Preparing for and taking action during a flood event.
Identifying key flooding issues within the community and establishing who is responsible. Click here to read more about who is responsible for managing flood risk.
Build relationships and lines of communication with key agencies.
Lobbying of decision makers and commenting on Government consultations.
Influencing the development of future flood scheme opportunities to better manage flood risk.

For more information, download our resource on flood action groups here.

An established group can encourage the wider community to get involved, including residents, local businesses, landowners and professional partners, as they can be important in improving flood resilience within the community. Our resource on how to reduce the impacts of flooding contains information on community flood resilience and can be downloaded here.

If your community is situated in a flood warning area, you can encourage residents and local businesses to sign up to receive flood alerts and warnings by clicking here ; and check out the ‘Check for Flooding’ service, by clicking here, both of which are free services from the Environment Agency

Depending on the scope of the work, it could be recommended that a flood action group has public liability insurance. This may be available through your local neighbourhood watch group.

Click here to download ‘A guide to Forming a Flood Group’

Multiple Benefits

Hover over each benefit below or read the text beneath the image to explore the multiple benefits of community flood groups.

Download the full resource with explanations here.

Efficient Flood Planning

Community Flood Plans outline actions to take before, during and after a flood, enabling the group to respond efficiently during flooding.

Creates Links with Agencies

Groups can form positive links with Risk Management Authorities (RMAs) and other organisations and work in partnership with them.

Strengthens Community Resilience

Groups can use their skills to focus on other emergencies or weather events which could impact the community.

Funding Opportunities

Constituted groups can access funding for equipment, which could improve community resilience.

Utilisation of Key Skills

Groups can utilise various skills and resources that different members have to help in an emergency.

Valuable Local Flood Knowledge

Communities have valuable local flood knowledge from years of living in the area that is essential for flood risk management.

Increases Awareness

Communities are more resilient working together. Groups can communicate with other residents to increase their awareness of local issues.

Influence Decision Makers

Voicing concerns as a group may have greater influence on decision makers compared to those voicing their concerns alone.

Tackling Local Issues

A flood event often brings attention to flood risk issues which can be localised to individuals and communities, or could affect the wider area leading to a catchment approach. Flooding issues that arise may relate to rivers or smaller watercourses, sewers and drainage, infrastructure care and maintenance, and much more. A community that has experienced flooding may be in the best position to identify problem areas, and can work with Risk Management Authorities (RMAs) to explore potential management opportunities.

Communities can work with key RMAs to manage their flood risk by forming a flood action group. A flood action group can represent the wider community, providing a single voice that engages with the RMAs to find solutions.

Online Community Engagement

As well as in person engagement, communities can utilise online engagement platforms to host community meetings with themselves or external agencies and authorities. Online engagement is particularly useful in various circumstances, such as during extreme weather, a global pandemic or when facilities are limited. It allows for communities to continue to work together along with external agencies and authorities, to receive up to date information and ask flood related questions.

Online engagement can take place through:

Online group meetings – These are useful for community groups to hold discussions and interact with the host though questions. They can be used to replace their normal face to face meetings to allow the group to get together online and discuss how to progress their actions.
Webinars – These involve one speaker who presents to a group of people. There is limited opportunity for interaction as those who watch are often muted with their cameras switched off automatically. There are chat buttons and question and answer buttons where users can type questions to the host, however these questions are usually answered at the end of the session or even after it.
Online conferences – These are similar to group meetings, but more formal and allow for more interaction than webinars. They are suitable for a large audience who may not know each other. There is usually more time for interaction with the host and allows questions to be asked and answered.

These are some of the following programmes that are available to use:

Zoom
Microsoft Teams
GoToMeeting
GoToWebinar
Adobe Connect
CloudApp
Skype
WhatsApp
Facebook messenger video

The format of the meeting is dependent on the aim and the host should decide which is the most appropriate.

For more information on online community engagement, click here.

Community Flood Planning

Planning ahead for flooding is crucial to ensure that the community can respond efficiently in the event of an incident. By working together, you can create an action plan that ensures that when a flood alert or warning is received community members know what actions to take and enables help to be easily provided for individuals who need extra assistance.

Before engaging in community flood planning, individuals should firstly plan and prepare for flooding to their own property if it is at risk, click here to check your risk. It may be the case that no formal flood plan or flood scheme is put in place for your community, which is why it is beneficial to plan for general resilience. For more information on how to get prepared and become more resilient, visit our Household page by clicking here or Business page by clicking here.

Knowing your Community

Even if you don’t create a formal group or plan, it is still important to give a thought to your neighbours who could be affected by flooding. The effects of flooding events and extreme weather do not impact everybody equally and can be especially challenging for those in vulnerable circumstances. If you are aware of anyone in your community who may need extra support, think about what you can do to help, even if it’s just a knock on the door.

From video by J Whipps / Whalley flooding, Lancashire

Flooding in Whalley from video by J Whipps

Click on each point to explore things you can help your neighbour with:

Signing up to flood alerts and warnings.
Accessing the Environment Agency ‘Check for Flooding’ service.
Preparing a flood plan and flood kit.
Signing up to Priority Services.
Deploying property flood resilience measures.
Assistance when evacuating their property.
Moving furniture and valuables when floodwater is expected.

There are organisations that may be able to offer further support, such as the Red Cross and Age UK. You can visit the Red Cross ‘how to prepare for flooding’ page by clicking here and Age UK here. They play a vital role by providing practical and wide-ranging support for those who are less able to prepare for a flooding event; from giving immediate support to helping during the recovery process with repairing homes or making insurance claims. To learn more about the recovery process visit out household page here.

Community Flood Plans

You can check if your community is at flood risk here. As a community in a flood risk area, creating a community flood plan can be an effective way to encourage the whole community to become more resilient. Having a clearly ordered and practised plan of action is crucial since floodwater can be unpredictable and raise rapidly in a short space of time. Members of the flood action group should be familiar with the flood plan and the actions they should take, and the wider community should also be made aware that there is a plan in place.

The plan can be useful for emergency services who may become involved in serious emergencies, as it enables them to identify the resources available, contact key members of the group, and identify properties that may have vulnerable residents inside, to provide them with help.

Download our ‘Community Flood Plan Development Guidance Notes & Template’ by clicking here. This contains all the information you need to consider when developing your community emergency flood response plan, as well as a pre-populated and blank flood plan template.

Getting Started

A good first step is to arrange a community meeting to discuss what the plan’s aims and objectives, as well as those who will be involved, their roles and how it will be organised. It is advisable to encourage residents to sign up for free flood alerts and warnings from the Environment Agency, click here to register. It is important to understand what the different alerts and warnings mean as they provide time to implement the flood plan and put flood resilience products in place if necessary. Read more about flood alerts and warnings here.

If they aren’t eligible, they should have an alternative trigger instead, information on these can be found here.

Tips for Completing your Community Flood Plan

Identifying Skills and Resources

Early on, it is crucial to assess the resources which are available to the community; both flood group volunteers who can give their time, and where physical resources such as two way radios, sandbags and other temporary defence methods items such as pumps, roll our barriers can be sourced from. You will also need to identify an appropriate location for an emergency assistance centre.

Flood group volunteers can be anyone, from individuals in the community to representatives of Parish Councils. Some individuals may have time to develop the plan and take on a co-ordinator role, however not all roles will require such a commitment. Other volunteers may be required for tasks such as monitoring water levels, identifying and reporting blockages, or providing assistance when the flood plan is triggered.

Equipment List / Emergency Resources

If your flood plan requires products to be installed, the location of their storage should be noted along with instructions of how and where to install them. You should also consider storage for:

Flood resistance products e.g. alternative sandbags, temporary flood barriers.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) e.g. high visibility clothing, gloves

Identifying Those Who Need Assistance

It is important to identify anyone within the community who would require assistance. This may include needing help to move furniture and belongings upstairs, or assistance evacuating their property. You will also need to identify people in the community that are willing to provide help, and collate their contact details for when assistance is required.

The addresses of the residents who need help can be added to the plan so that those helping out know where to go – there is no need to add names of residents to the plan if you do not wish to do so. These details can also be useful in the case of an emergency evacuation, as they can be passed on to the emergency services so they can prioritise help to those in need.

Communication

Communication is important prior to a flood when organising flood group meetings, sharing key messages to the wider community and during a flood event. You should ensure that you choose the most appropriate method to suit your community. Keep in mind that not everyone has access to the internet and therefore cannot make use of email, mobile apps or social media.

Telephone trees: A telephone tree works with one person acting as the coordinator and making the first telephone call to two or more people. In turn, these individuals each call another set of people and so on, until the tree is complete. The tree can be used to ensure that all members of a community are contacted and informed of an emergency, especially those who are more vulnerable.

Messenger groups: Group messaging is a great way for a community to correspond with each other, as by sending one message all members of the group will be notified. This would be useful for organising meetings to ensure everyone has been notified. One popular instant messaging service is Whatsapp Messenger.

Social media: Social media is a great tool for spreading news and highlighting events, and can be used to make people aware of a meeting or event that you may hold as a flood group. Facebook and X (formally Twitter) are popular social media tools to use.

Email: Sending out an email to a pre-collated list of recipients can be a very useful way to send messages throughout a community, for example local newsletters. However, email will not be suitable for messages that require immediate action, and not all residents will have an email address.

Door knocking: Physical door knocking is a good way to reach residents who do not use smart phones, social media or the internet. Flood group members can use this method to update residents on flood related news in the community, and post leaflets/newsletters through doors if needed.

Contact List

A contact list should be included in the plan, containing community contacts and contact details for useful agencies:

Flood group volunteers (highlighting key members).
List of people who require assistance.
General community contacts (if there is a reasonable number).
Environment Agency’s Floodline (0345 988 1188) if you are unsure of the immediate risk to the area.
Emergency and non-emergency service telephone numbers.
Local radio station frequencies as these will have the latest news and weather conditions.
County Councils or Local Authorities for useful information about resources available, such as emergency assistance centres.

Step-by-step Action Plan

Start by agreeing on the most suitable triggers for taking action will be, read more on warning triggers here. If you are in a flood risk area, you may be eligible to receive free flood alerts and warnings via the Environment Agency. Read more about flood alerts and warnings here. You should then decide on roles for each member of the community flood group but keep them flexible in case some members of the group are unavailable when flooding occurs.

Flood Alert

Flooding to low lying land and roads is possible. Stay vigilant and make early preparations for a potential flood.

Ensure the community flood plan and equipment can be accessed.
Monitor the situation and check river levels.
Communicate messages to the community if required.

Flood Warning

Flooding is expected. Immediate action is required to protect the community. Put the community flood plan into action.

Start communication procedure.
Deploy flood resilience products as part of the community flood resilience scheme, if you have one.
Give assistance to those who have been identified as needing help.
Prepare to evacuate.

Severe Flood Warning

Severe flooding is expected. Significant risk to life and property. Prepare to evacuate and cooperate with emergency services. Evacuate.

Evacuate.
Pass on assistance list to emergency services.

Community Emergency Plans

Community plans cover various emergencies, including floods, fires, power cuts, severe weather, and more. This enhances community resilience through adaptable planning.

For additional information, download our ‘Community Resilience Planning’ resource here.

ACT Cumbria has resources available to help with community emergency planning; you can browse their guidance sheets to download resources here.

Community Flood Telemetry and Warning Systems

Flood telemetry systems are an automated recording and transmitting technology, designed to help communities and agencies remotely monitor sources of flood risk and receive warning triggers which can enable them to respond effectively.

They are especially useful for communities in areas which are not covered by the Environment Agency’s flood alerts and warnings. These systems can be set up in a location where a certain water level usually indicates that flooding is possible, and when triggered, will give residents a warning so they have time to take action and prepare for flooding. Some systems like rain gauges have the added bonus of being able to warn of surface water flooding which the Environment Agency is not able to monitor. You can learn more about surface water flooding on our page by clicking here. See our ‘Community Flood Telemetry’ resource here for more information.

Case Study: Whalley Early Flood Warning Trial Hailed a Success
Case study: Parbold, West Lancashire

White community telemetry system set up on a bridge to record water levels. When a certain level is reached, it alerts local residents that flooding is possible.

Community Flood Resilience Schemes

A community scheme increases a community’s flood resilience, tailored to suit the specific needs of the area. The size of the scheme will vary between communities, and can protect the community in different ways, from installing property flood resilience (PFR) measures to individual properties, to deploying larger defences to protect a certain area within the community.

It is a good idea to get a flood survey carried out to identify the best course of action for protection, and the range of options available to your community. You will also need to ensure that you consult the necessary agencies to obtain any permission for a scheme before it is developed, if needed.

Whether a community flood scheme is feasible or not, it is important that residents prioritise their individual household and business resilience. For more information on this, visit our Household page by clicking here or Business page by clicking here.

Flood Barriers at Upton cc-by-sa/2.0 – © Bob Embleton – geograph.org.uk/p/292012

Funding

It may be possible for a flood action group to access funding from local organisations to assist with community resilience. To access funding, the group may need to become a constituted group. A constitution is the ‘governing document’ of your group which sets out how you intend to run it, and shows funders that the group is organised if you are going to apply for grant funding.

Your local Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) can assist the flood action group in becoming constituted and can provide access to resources and information around running successful community groups.

Click here to download the resource below for links to some possible community funding sources.

Types of Schemes

Terraced Properties

Simple schemes could ensure that all the properties in a row of terraced houses install property flood resilience measures such as demountable door barriers, read more on PFR on our page by clicking here. This will reduce the risk of floodwater seeping through the party wall from a neighbouring property. In these cases, consent will usually be needed from residents from each house to allow the scheme to go ahead.

Flood walls

Larger schemes may involve modifying or building a flood wall along a riverside or around a group of properties to protect a community. In these cases, a flood risk assessment would usually be undertaken to ensure the flood risk is not increased elsewhere.

It is worth noting that there is a flood risk activities exemption for schemes that protect up to 6 adjoining properties using raised defences up to a meter high. Read more on environmental permits and exemptions by clicking here.

Altering Flow Paths

Sometimes, permanent solutions are not appropriate, so temporary barriers can be used to redirect water away from properties, such as across a cul-de-sac entrance. At a larger scale, flow paths could be altered to redirect water back to the watercourse using roads as temporary channels.

Products

Products

Products should be purchased from a reputable source, Know Your Flood Risk’s ‘Homeowner’s Guide to Flood Resilience’ has more information on available products, click here to read. Click here to visit the Buy with Confidence scheme website, which highlights trustworthy businesses to source products from. Click here to visit the Blue Pages website, which is a directory of flood products which gives information on available options of protection, and this Trader Directory accessible by clicking here can be used to find traders in your local region.

You can ensure the quality of any products by checking that they are Kitemark certified meaning they have been thoroughly tested in a BSI (British Standards Institution) approved testing facility and therefore have good safety, quality and reliability. The BSI Kitemark for Flood Protection products is known as PAS1188.

Click here for more guidance on checking the certification of products.

Flood Store

A community flood resilience scheme typically includes communal flood defence products and equipment. These should be stored in an accessible location to allow communities to respond quickly to the flooding. The flood defence products and equipment should be maintained and checked regularly as part of the flood plan to ensure it remains in working order.

Ensure that at least two individuals, ideally from properties with lower flood risk have access to the storage. This way, they can prioritise responding to the communities needs over addressing their own household or business concerns.

Our resource containing information on community flood schemes can be downloaded here.