***General Advice and Support***

This advice and information is for people returning to flood affected homes and areas. More detailed information is availabledirect from the contacts at the end of this leaflet.

Your Safety and Health

General advice

  • Don’t turn on gas or electrics until they have been checked by a qualified technician.
  • Ensure good ventilation if using portable indoor heating appliances to dry out indoor spaces. Don’t use petrol or diesel generators indoors - exhaust gases can kill.
  • Keep children and the vulnerable out of any remaining flood water and avoid walking or driving through it where possible.
  • Contact friends and family for support. Feeling tired, anxious and having problems sleeping is normal after being flooded.

Food and water

  • Phone your water company or local council to ask if your water is safe to drink/wash in.
  • Drink boiled or bottled water until you have thoroughly washed and flushed all taps – 15 minutes for kitchen tap, 2 minutes for all others.
  • Contact Wessex Water (0845 6004600) if you are concerned about the taste of your water, think pipe work has been damaged or are concerned your supply may be contaminated by oil.
  • Don’t eat food that has touched floodwater.
  • Wash your hands regularly in clean warm water with soap or hand gel.

Mould

It doesn’t present any health problems to most people,but prolonged exposure may aggravate asthma and eye/nose irritation.Speak to your GP if you have concerns.

Heating, dehumidifiers and good ventilation can help dry out your home and control mould. Small areas of mould can be removed easily with solutions from hardware stores.

Health FAQs

For more information about flood-related topics, such as preparing food safely, washing and drinking water safely, visit

You can also call 111 or your GP for advice in the normal way. In a medical emergency you should still dial 999.

PetsThe risk of diseaseto pets and livestock from floodwater is low. Minimise it by:

Stopping your pets from going into any areas affected by sewage spill.

Cleaning-up any obvious contamination and take hygiene precautions.

Seek the advice of your vet as soon as possible if pets show any signs of ill health.

Cleaning up

Insurance

  • Call your insurance company as soon as possible and follow their advice.
  • Take photographs before you start cleaning. Ask your insurer before discarding items that can’t be cleaned (e.g. mattresses and carpets).
  • Check with your insurance company before removing flood-damaged items from your homein case they need to be retained or recorded.
  • Your insurance should arrange or pay for removal of all flood-damaged items (e.g. with skips); do not dispose of them in your kerbside refuse bin.

Practical tips

  • Wear rubber boots, gloves and masks to clean up. Wash clothes used for cleaning separately.
  • Clean all hard surfaces (e.g. walls, floors) with hot water and detergent.
  • Wash your hands thoroughly after each clean-up session. Keep open cuts or wounds clean and covered with plasters to prevent them from being exposed to flood water.
  • Heating, dehumidifiers and good ventilation can help dry out your home.
  • Wash soft items (e.g. clothing, bedding, soft toys) on a 60◦cwash with detergent.
  • Put rubbish in bins or in rubbish bags.

Clear-out assistance

If,after speaking to your insurance company youneed further help, contact your district council. If appropriate volunteers may be able to help you clear up and remove waste for disposal or recycling.

Refuse and recycling collections

All waste collections in flood-affected areas are back to usual on their usual days.For details, visit the Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP) website

If your collection is missed, your property is inaccessible or you need to replace containers let SWP know by contacting your district council.

Waste removal services

If you are arranging waste removal, whether funded yourself or by insurers, please avoid rogue clear-up and removal services that will fly-tip your waste. Ask to see a ‘waste carrier licence’ orcall 03708 506 506 to check.

Businesses affected by floods needing waste removed should check with their insurers first and use commercial waste services.

And as an additional channel for refuse and recycling, Bridgwater Saltlands Recycling Centre (and the centres at Frome,Minehead, Taunton, Yeovil) will be open seven days a week, including Sundays, 8am-4pm.

Asbestos

You must assess the likelihood of asbestos being in your property before carrying outrefurbishment work.For insured properties, the loss adjuster and any subsequent builder can make arrangements for an assessment to be made if necessary.

For uninsured properties, Somerset County Council’s Asbestos Team (01823 355195) can make a visual assessment and advise.

For details of where and how to dispose of asbestos, visit the SWP website. Asbestos and products that are likely to contain it, such as storage heaters, require special handling. Seven recycling centres can accept this waste, but must be called in advance. SWP also offers a paid-for asbestos collection service.

Nothing that could be asbestos or may contain it should be placed in refuse bins, or skips without checking in advance with the skip provider.

Financial and other support

Welfare, benefits and Environmental Health information

District councils can give you help and advice around:

  • Temporarily homelessness, housing benefits, and business rates relief.
  • Council Tax reduction for the time your property is uninhabited because of flooding.
  • Environmental Health services, such as dealing with septic tanks.

Grants

A grant of £250 is available to alleviate the immediate financial hardship for people with flooded homes or who have been evacuated due to flooding.Grants of £150 - £1,000 may also be awarded to households directly and indirectly affected by the floods. Contact Somerset Community Foundation on (01749) 344949 or download the application form from

Repair and Renew grants

Grants of up to £5,000 are available for home owners and businesses directly affected by the floods to use to help reduce the risk of flooding of their properties in the future.

The Government-funded Repair and Renew Grant scheme can be used towards the cost of work over and above repairs that would normally be covered by insurance.

Affected residents need to apply to their local district council:

  • Sedgemoor: Tel. 0845 408 2540 or local rate 01278 435435, , or visit
  • South Somerset: Tel. 01935 462507, or visit
  • Taunton Deane: Tel. 01823 356559, email or visit
  • West Somerset: Tel. 01823 356559, email or visit
  • Mendip: Tel. 0300 303 8588 or

Sedgemoor Planning

Sedgemoor District Council has a designated planning officer who can help with enquiries about planning permission for mobile homes in gardens of flood affected properties. It has also put in place a simple notification process, which avoids the needs for affected residents to make more complex planning applications. Call (01278) 435288 or email

Donations
Donations,from food and toiletries, to clothes and bedding, are being kept in the old Somerfield distribution centre at HuntworthBusinessPark, nearJunction 24 in Bridgwater. It's open on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdayfrom 10am until 3pm if you’ve been affected and need supplies. Please bring ID with you just so that we can confirm your address.

Crime prevention advice and help

All the agencies and volunteers working in the flood affected area should have ID so please ask to see it if you have any concerns.

Police continue to have a significant presence in the flood-affected area, and you are encouraged to take the usual precautions: register your property on leave drying items outside your house when you are not there, always lock doors and windows when leaving your property, don’t leave packaging for new goods outside your home, keep valuable items like copper piping and tools somewhere out of site.

The Police Flood Team are available to conduct Crime Reduction Surveys for people’s properties and can assist with property marking and registration, please contact the team to arrange a visit. Mobile phone numbers, staffed by the Flood Team, have been set up for residents of the evacuated villages to call regarding policing and security, or if they see anything suspicious. These will be in operation 24/7 but will not replace the 999 emergency number. For Burrowbridge call: 07939507200 and for Moorland & Fordgate: 07957432828

Information Points

Information and support is available from various places (details may change in the coming weeks so please try and check before visiting).

  • Weekly flood drop-in meetings at the Canalside Conference Centre, from 6-8pm where you will find representatives from all the main agencies involved offering advice and practical support.
  • Sedgemoor District Council is in a portakabin outside Moorland Village Hall, 11am-2pm, Monday to Friday to answer queries, provide help or signpost in the right direction.
  • Police Community Contact Vehicles (mobile police stations) in Burrowbridge and Moorland.
  • Langport Information Centre, Bow Street. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 9am to 2pm, for help with South Somerset District Council services. Phone 01458 253527.
  • Burrowbridge old school building. Run by County Council staff and FLAG volunteers Monday to Saturday, 9am-5pm, offering support including clean-up equipment, laundry facilities and internet access.Advisors from the Taunton Citizens Advice Bureau available on Monday and Friday from 10am to 3pm and on Wednesdays from 1pm to 6pm.Taunton Deane Borough Council officers will be there on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10am–4pm.
  • The EA is holding twice weekly drop-in sessions at the Old School Rooms in Burrowbridge on a Tuesdays 3-5pm and Thursdays 9am-11am. Please come along and ask any questions you have about the dredging work. You can also find weekly updates on the EA website

Village Agents:

Community Council for Somerset has Village Agents offering advice and support:

  • Alison Hoare: 07798 703321. Moorland area.
  • Audrey Mansfield: 07870 577925. Creech St Michael and surrounding area including Stoke St Gregory and Burrowbridge.
  • Carolyn Roche: 07968 521746. Muchelney area.

Useful contact numbers

All flooding enquiries

The starting point for people seeking information about flood related issues is

Somerset County Council’s Somerset Direct number 0845 345 9166, staffed Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, and on Saturdays from 9am to 4pm.

Where possible, Somerset Direct will provide the information itself, and where necessary it will sign-post callers to the most appropriate agency or contact number.

Local Volunteer Support – Visit the Flooding on the Levels Action Group – FLAGSomerset - on Facebook or contact via the Burrowbridge information centre on 01823698300

Police – 101 for general calls and 999 for emergency calls.

e-mail: use the form on the Police website.

Environment Agency Floodline - 0345 9881188

Helpline - For independent advice on all aspects of flooding, including insurance issues, phone the National Flood Forum Helpline on (01299) 403055 or visit

Local Councils:

  • Sedgemoor District Council:

Tel: 0845 408 2540 or 01278 435435. Outside of office hours:0800 917 6520.

Email: , website:

  • South Somerset District Council:

Tel: 01935 462462 with an out of hours service for emergencies.

Email: , website:

  • Taunton Deane Borough Council:

Tel: 01823 356356 with an out of hours service for emergencies.

Email: , website:

  • Somerset County Council:

Roads and Transport 0845 345 9155

Adult Social Care 0845 345 9133

General Enquiries 0845 345 9166

Electricity - Western Power Distribution: 0800 365 900, website:

EDF Energy: 0800 056 3264 (8am – 6pm)

Gas - Emergency - National Grid: 0800 111 999.

General enquiries - National Grid: 0845 835 1111, website:

National Farmers Union - Email:, website

Health and wellbeing

24 hour health care advice – NHS Direct 111

Mindline - 01823 276892 Line open: Friday, Saturday, Sunday 8pm-12am

Samaritans – Taunton01823 288 998 (24hr); Yeovil 01935 476455

Somerset Carers Network - 01749 836 633

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