Insurance Broker Welcomes Flood Alerts

• Author: Richard Hartley
• Published: 09/02/2010

Flood risk householders and businesses to get new flood warning service

Insurance broker, Alan Boswell Group, has welcomed the news that the Environment Agency is to extend its flood warning system for at-risk households and businesses.

The Environment Agency’s flood warning service - Floodline Warnings Direct – has previously worked on the basis that those in flood-prone areas needed to register to receive automated alerts. Now however, the system will work on the basis that those at risk will receive an alert unless they specifically opt out of the service.

After being interviewed about the new service on BBC Radio Norfolk on Monday evening, Heath Alexander-Bew, manager of the insurance broker’s home and landlords insurance operation, explained why he felt the expanded service would help:

"Previously, the Floodline Warnings Direct service required that householders and businesses registered their details on the Environment Agency website or called the Floodline number. Of course, many people never get around to doing these things – however well intentioned they may be."

The revised system will mean that those identified by the Agency as being at risk of flooding (almost a million homes in the UK) will be automatically opted into the system. Letters will soon be sent out to around 430,000 addresses, explaining the system and also allowing users to change their method of alerting. Instead of a call to a landline, users can choose to receive their alerts via text messaging, email or fax.

Mr Alexander-Bew says that in recent years the broker’s claims department has seen many heart-rending accounts of the devastation flooding can do to people homes and property:

"We have home insurance and landlords insurance customers throughout the UK and inevitably, with one on six homes now in vulnerable areas, we get a fair volume of flood-related claims. We work with the insurers and loss adjuster to ensure flood damaged homes are repaired as quickly as possible and to replace lost possessions."

But as he points out, no matter how comprehensive your insurance coverage, nothing can compensate for the terrible disruption caused by flooding or for the loss of items of sentimental value, such as documents and photographs. And of course, with severe flooding comes the risk of injury or even death.

"Anything that gives people more time to prepare for flooding is to be welcomed."

For more details of the Floodline Warnings Direct scheme, check the Environment Agency’s website : http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/38289.aspx.

Related Links

• Environment Agency
• Claims Flood In