Flooding advice: Before, during and after

Prepare and plan

Use GOV.UK's guidance to help prepare your business for flooding. Their guidance includes:

• actions that you can take to make sure that your business is well prepared for flooding
• how to find out if your business is at risk, the Environment Agency’s flood warning service and what our flood warning codes mean
• a template flood plan for your company

During and after flooding

When cleaning up after flood water:

• try to avoid contact with flood water
• wear protective clothing including rubber gloves, wellingtons, overalls etc
• avoid ingesting any water
• wash hands thoroughly and regularly with hot water and liquid anti‐bacterial soap
• do not use any electrical equipment or circuits until they've been checked and declared safe by a qualified electrician
• if the power supply is off, assess the risk to your staff and customers and consider closing the business
• do not use internal lifts until power supplies are back to normal (you could be stuck in the lift if the power supply is interrupted)
• use specialist detergents when cleaning up petrol or oil and follow safety information from the manufacturer
• open windows and doors when clearing up petrol or oil
• don't go into any confined spaces (such as cellars) where there is known petrol or oil contamination

If your food business has been flooded:

• do not reopen until  you have cleaned everything thoroughly  
• clean and disinfect work surfaces, plates, pans, cutlery, plastic or ceramic chopping boards etc before using them with food
• if you have a working dishwasher, use this to clean and sanitise smaller items, or use a suitable disinfectant
• throw away wooden chopping boards and wooden spoons if they've been touched by flood water
• clean and disinfect the inside of your fridge and food cupboards if they've been touched by flood water
• don't use work surfaces, plates etc if they are badly chipped or damaged
• throw away any food that has been touched or covered by flood water or sewage
• when throwing away food, make sure it's double‐bagged and put in a sealed container so it doesn't attract pests
• contact your commercial waste contractor to arrange collection of food in the normal way
• if the tap water could be contaminated, boil and cool it before using it to wash food that won’t be cooked, such as fruit or salad
• if your fridge has not been working for more than four hours, throw away the food inside
• if your freezer has not been working, throw away any meat, fish or dairy products, or foods containing these, if they have started to go soft
• if your freezer has not been working, throw away any food that you would eat frozen, eg ice cream
• if you are unable to keep high‐risk food under adequate temperature control you must close your business
• don't use any electrical items or circuits as they could be dangerous
• circuits and electrical equipment must be checked by a qualified electrician before use