The reality of having your home flooded is difficult to understand unless you have been through the experience – you can face many months away from home while it is restored.

"A flood can also mean the prospect of having to throw away everything from the downstairs of your home - everything that is precious to you - a settee can be replaced but treasured sentimental possession often can’t be. There will be an immense amount of disruption to normal family life. The emotional impact can be equally devastating. Suddenly having to become the building site foreman for your own home whilst living in temporary accommodation, plus worrying about the possible impact on house prices and the risk of future flooding all add to the stress of the situation. Having your home or business flooded is an appalling experience, but the distress and disruption can be limited if you are prepared.

"Planning what you could do to reduce the damage should a flood happen can help enormously. Prepare in advance alternative accommodation for any elderly relatives who are living with you, where will you put your car and pet hamster etc?

"Plan what you can do to protect your own home ( details of flood protection products and services can be found in the ‘blue pages directory’ on the National Flood Forum (NFF) web site www.floodforum.org.uk) Creating a ‘family flood plan’ that you can refer to when you are stressed will help calm the situation. Always involve your children, and if they are old enough give them something to do( even if it’s moving their own toys upstairs). Pack a ‘grab ‘bag’ containing all the basic essential things that you will need to survive should you have to evacuate your home

These suggestions are just a very few basic ideas as to what you can do to help yourselves. More guidance can be found in the ‘Beginners guides to flooding’ on the NFF web site.

Good luck with your preparations, having been flooded myself on many occasions, I know just how helpful forward planning can be!

If your home is at risk of groundwater flooding, you will usually get some notice of the rising levels. For instance, a cellar floor might start to have damp patches which gradually join together and then become puddles which coalesce into a...

You might like to browse the following website there are tips about living in a caravan, many flood victims are not used to doing this and there is an art to organising the way you live. There are some pictures there too....

We live in rural Cumbria, near Carlisle in Crosby on Eden, a village of about 100 houses, and were affected in the 2005 floods. The village school, pub and restaurant along with a third of houses were flooded. The main concentration of assistance...