¡¥Although we¡¦re unlikely to see flooding in the UK like that caused by the Boxing Day tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, there is still a significant flood threat here from extreme rainfall and coastal surges,¡¦ said Richard Cresswell, Regional Director of the Environment Agency for the south west region.

¡¥Devastating floods do happen here too, like those in autumn 2000 and more recently in Boscastle. There¡¦s a tendency for people to think ¡¥it¡¦ll never happen to me¡¦. The fact is, it could, we just don¡¦t know when. People in the South West cannot afford to be complacent about flood risk.¡¦

People living in 100,000 homes in the region live in flood risk areas, yet despite this, Environment Agency research indicates that as many as two fifths (41%) of these people are still unaware of the threat.

On the fifth anniversary of the autumn 2000 floods, the worst floods to hit the south west for 60 years, the Environment Agency is launching an eye-catching advertising campaign in the national and local press to remind people that devastating floods happen here too. The campaign will urge people to find out if they live or work in a flood risk area and how to prepare in case the worst happens this winter.

The devastating floods of autumn 2000 caused damage to about 955 properties in the southwest. Few parts of the region escaped the effects of the widespread flooding. Places not directly affected found themselves virtually cut off at times as storms and floods severed road and rail links. Despite the scale of this devastation and serious floods in subsequent such as Boscastle, more than two thirds (69%) of those surveyed by the Environment Agency said they were unlikely to take measures to protect themselves and their property ¡V despite living in a flood risk area.

The research also revealed that one third (34%) of people in flood risk areas had not checked whether their buildings and contents insurance covers flood damage and only 7% had found out how to get flood warnings. Two fifths (42%) admitted they would not know what to do in the event of a flood.

¡¥While we can reduce the effects of floods through awareness, education and investment in flood defences, we can never prevent them. That¡¦s why we¡¦re urging people to try to reduce the massive financial and emotional costs of flooding. So the message is: be prepared for flooding,¡¦ said Richard Cresswell, Regional Director of the Environment Agency.

The Environment Agency¡¦s three steps to take to prepare for flooding:
1. Visit www.environment-agency.gov.uk/floodline or call our 24 hour Floodline on 0845 988 1188 to find out if you are at risk of flooding
2. Find out if flood warnings are available in your area.
3. Make sure you understand the flood warning codes so you know what to do when a flood warning is issued

If floods are imminent, people must:
„h Co-operate with emergency services and local authorities ¡V you may be evacuated
„h Turn off gas, electricity and water supplies at the mains. Find out where these are well in advance of any flood
„h Put plugs into sinks and weigh them down with something heavy
„h Move sentimental items like photographs upstairs and think about storing them more safely in future in case you forget or don¡¦t have time to move them during a flood
„h Move as many possessions upstairs as you can

Notes to Editors

1. The Environment Agency¡¦s campaign is part of its annual awareness initiative to alert the public to the dangers of flooding. Advertising will run in national and regional press from 12th October. Arresting images of flood-hit England and Wales, accompanied by statements like ¡¥devastating floods happen here too¡¦, will drive the message home that floods don¡¦t just happen in other countries. Advertising vans featuring graphic images of the effects of flooding will also tour across areas of England and Wales that are at risk.

2. The campaign urges people to call the Environment Agency¡¦s Floodline 0845 988 1188, or visit its website at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/floodline, for the very latest advice on how to protect their homes and businesses from flooding and what to do in the event of a flood.

3. Research was conducted by the Environment Agency from May to August 2005 and is based on interviews with 1,022 people in flood risk areas in England and Wales.

4. The Environment Agency¡¦s Flood Map shows different levels of flood risk for post codes across England and Wales. It is based on information from a combination of sources, including detailed local data with information from a new national model of England and Wales, which gives a more consistent picture of flood risk and enables us to identify flooding associated with smaller rivers. The Flood Map shows the potential extent of an extreme flood, which may be experienced as a result of climate change, and it also starts to show flood defences and indicate where these defences reduce the risk.