Flood Warden Checklist: Before, During and After a Flood

A flood warden is a local volunteer who helps a community prepare for, respond to and recover from flooding¹. The role is not a rescue service. Wardens are not first responders, personal safety comes first, and anything that puts life at risk is escalated to the authorities¹. What a warden can do is hold the community flood plan, keep the contacts current, pass on warnings, advise residents and record what happened.

The checklist below runs in the order a warden needs it: what to have ready before any warning, what to do when one arrives, what to do while water is about, and what to do afterwards. It is built for the person who has just taken on the role, or for a flood group checking that its arrangements are still sound.

The flood warden checklist: before, during and after a flood

Work through this list in order. Each item says why it matters, and the sections that follow explain how to keep each one ready.

1. Know the local flood risk and who is exposed. Identify properties with disabled, elderly or infirm residents and record them in the community flood plan under data protection rules⁵.
2. Sign up for flood warnings yourself. Wardens should be signed up so they can cascade warnings to the community³.
3. Keep the community flood plan current. It should cover the local risk, contacts, how to report an incident, actions before, during and after a flood, when to act, how information is shared, and how often it is tested and reviewed⁴.
4. Hold a contacts list. Include the community flood lead, flood volunteers, the local council, the emergency services and insurers⁴.
5. Recruit deputies and standby wardens. Deputies are activated on receiving a flood alert or warning, and standby wardens cover holidays or prolonged incidents⁵.
6. Be personally prepared first. Have your own flood plan and kit ready so you can act quickly before helping others⁵.
7. Check drains outside homes and on your street are clear before flash flooding is forecast⁷.
8. On a flood alert, prepare. Get the flood kit out, check warnings, and be ready to act on the plan⁸.
9. On a flood warning, act. Move valuables, documents, pets and vehicles, charge phones, put flood protection in place and check on people⁹.
10. During the flood, advise and co-ordinate only. Keep in touch with residents, say where sandbags can be had, and support the council if roads close or a rest centre opens².
11. After the flood, record and refer. Collect where and when water rose and which properties were affected¹⁰, and tell residents to have electricity and gas checked before switching them on¹¹.

Keeping the community flood plan ready: risks, contacts and actions in advance

The plan is the warden's core document. Natural Resources Wales sets out what a community flood plan should include: details of the flood risk in the area, a list of contacts including the community flood lead and flood volunteers, how to report an incident, the actions to take before, during and after a flood, when to take action, how information is shared within the community, and how often the plan will be tested and reviewed⁴. Thurrock Council puts it plainly: formalise what you intend to do by developing a community flood plan covering the information needed before, during and after a flood¹².

The government publishes a community flood plan template that applies to England¹³. It is written for people active in the local community, leaders of community groups, local responders, people working in the voluntary sector and any other interested members of the community¹⁴. Cambridgeshire County Council has published a webinar on what to include in a community flood plan, covering GDPR implications, warning triggers, equipment and insurance, and reviewing, updating and testing the plan¹⁵.

Keep the plan tested and reviewed on the schedule it sets. A plan nobody has read since it was written will not survive contact with a real warning.

What a flood warden must never do: flood water, rescues and heavy lifting

The limits are the most important part of the checklist, because they are what keeps wardens safe and useful.

The list of things wardens cannot do is short and firm. Flood wardens cannot stop flooding, cannot rescue you if you are in danger (you should call 999), cannot clear gulleys and streams while they are in full flow because that is dangerous, and must not go into flood water². The same safety warning is direct: do not enter flood water, because of its depth, contamination and hidden hazards, and do not lift heavy objects alone, but escalate to the appropriate authority¹⁶. Never walk in floodwater, and never drive through flood water¹⁷.

There is a second limit that is less obvious. A flood warden is there to provide advice and co-ordinate the response effort, not to get physically involved, and should refuse to lift anything too large, awkward or heavy⁵. Cheltenham Borough Council tells its wardens not to undertake any activity they are not comfortable with¹⁰. Being part of a community flood group is not an emergency service role, and nobody should undertake activities that could put their life or others in danger⁴.

Electrical hazards belong here too. Do not touch an electrical switch if you are standing in water²⁰, and do not touch electrical sources while standing in flood water²¹. If a property is at risk, the householder should turn off gas, electricity and water before flood water enters, and never touch electrical sources while standing in water²¹.

Personal details in the plan must be stored securely and shared only with permission

A community flood plan only works if it names the people who need help, and that means holding personal information. The rules are clear. You must have people's permission to store their details securely, and the information should only be shared with the emergency services during a flood, not passed to any other people or organisations⁴. The government template says the same: make sure you comply with GDPR regulations when gathering personal information from people¹³.

In practice, that means a few habits:

• Ask before you record. When someone gives you their details, tell them what the plan is for and who may see it⁴.
• Keep the list secure. Store it where only those who need it can reach it, not on an open noticeboard or a shared drive anyone can browse⁴.
• Share only in a flood, only with the emergency services. Not with other organisations, not with other residents⁴.
• Record vulnerable residents carefully. Identify properties with disabled, elderly or infirm residents and store that information in the plan in line with data protection guidance⁵.
• Ask permission to pass details on. Natural Resources Wales asks for your name, postcode and whether it has permission to pass your details on⁴.

Becoming a flood warden, and who leads the response

Schemes are run locally, so the route in depends on where you live. In Wiltshire, contact the Environment Agency's Flood Resilience Team for information, training, guides, templates and a quarterly flood warden newsletter, or the county's prepared team for the Swindon area²². Wiltshire has approximately 500 flood wardens throughout Wessex²². Cheltenham Borough Council asks for a reasonable level of fitness so you can monitor the watercourse or area at risk, and provides a full training session, flood warden handbook, high-vis jacket, volunteer lanyard and ID card¹⁰. Nottinghamshire's Flood Signage Warden role needs no previous experience or a huge amount of commitment, and you register by emailing to express interest²³. In Harborough, email the volunteer address or visit the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland volunteering page¹.

Training varies. The Devon Pathfinder programme ran six modules covering an introduction to flood risk issues, the role of the emergency services, the use of sandbags, the role of a flood group, health and safety risks and personal protective equipment²⁴.

Who leads what is worth being clear about before an incident:

Wardens are a first point of contact for residents during a flood event and give advice and information during dry periods²². They can help keep streams and culverts near homes clear if residents cannot, provided the water is not running fast or deep, contact residents when there is a flood risk, keep in touch during a flood, advise where sandbags can be had, deliver sandbags if not busy elsewhere, and support the local authority if roads close or a rest centre opens².

Before a flood: warnings, kits and the household side

A warden who is not personally prepared is a warden who cannot help. The Derby and Derbyshire handbook recommends ensuring you are personally well prepared so you can quickly implement your own flood plan before helping others, and points to the Environment Agency's personal flood plan template⁵. The Met Office's three-point plan is to check whether your property is at risk, and if it is, prepare a flood plan and an emergency flood kit²⁵. Being part of a community flood group is not an Emergency Service role, and you should not undertake any activities which could put your life or others in danger²⁶.

Warnings come in levels. A flood alert means be prepared: prepare a bag that includes medicines and insurance documents, and check flood warnings⁸. In Wales, a flood alert means be prepared, and the advice is to prepare a flood kit of essential items, monitor local river levels, check the five day flood risk, and for farmers to consider moving livestock and equipment away from areas likely to flood¹⁶. When a local flood warning is in place, ensure you have a sufficient stock of food, water and medication²⁶.

A household flood kit should include a torch, blankets, waterproof clothing, wellingtons, a portable battery-powered radio, a first-aid kit, rubber gloves and key personal documents, kept upstairs if possible¹¹. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency publishes a cut-out checklist to prepare your kit and a label to stick on the box so you can find it when you need it²⁷.

When flooding is forecast, the checklist for residents is to keep your mobile phone fully charged, protect belongings, property and pets, move your vehicle out of the flood risk area, move important documents and valuables to a safe place, ensure flood protection products are in place and working, move pets and animals to a safe place with enough food and water, and check in on people⁹. If you have to leave, turn off the gas, electricity and water before flood water enters your home, lock gates, sheds and garages, close and lock doors and windows, set the burglar alarm, take house keys and put spare keys out of the reach of letterboxes²¹.

During a flood: what wardens do, and when to call 999

During an incident the warden's job is communication and co-ordination. Keep in touch with residents, pass on warnings, say where sandbags can be had and support the local authority if roads close or a rest centre opens². Do not enter water, do not attempt a rescue, and do not clear a watercourse in full flow¹.

Call 999 when there is danger to life². For flood warnings and information rather than an emergency, the Environment Agency Floodline runs 24 hours on 0345 988 1188, with a textphone on 0345 602 6340³. The Derby and Derbyshire handbook calls the Floodline number and local quick dial code possibly the most important piece of information a flood warden can pass on to local residents⁵. Many but not all parts of the country are covered by the Flood Warning Service, so check by calling Floodline or at the government's flood risk checker⁵.

In Wales, Natural Resources Wales runs the warning service, and you can sign up for more than one location, such as your home address, a business, other property you own or a relative's house²⁸. If you are outside a warning area, you can sign up for the nearest relevant area by searching by town or city and selecting from the list²⁸.

After a flood: recording, recovery and referring residents on

The recovery phase is where wardens earn their keep. Cheltenham Borough Council's wardens help collect flooding information, including where and when water levels rose and which properties were affected¹⁰. That record is what a community needs for its next plan review and for conversations with the council.

Residents need clear, safe advice. Natural Resources Wales says never walk in floodwater³⁰. The fire and rescue service says to have electricity and gas checked by your supplier or a qualified technician before switching them on¹¹. Nottinghamshire County Council advises ensuring important documents are safe, including home insurance details³¹.

Wardens should also be honest about what they cannot do. They cannot make a flooded home safe, repair electrics or assess structural damage. Refer residents to their supplier, their insurer and their council, and keep the community plan's contact list to hand.

Where to get help and how to join in

• England: the government's community flood plan template and its help page for people affected by flooding¹³. Floodline on 0345 988 1188, 24 hours³.
• Wales: Natural Resources Wales's community flood planning pages, and befloodready@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk to find out whether there is a community flood group in your area and to ask about a simulated flooding event⁴. Sign up for warnings at more than one location²⁸.
• Scotland: the Scottish Environment Protection Agency's guidance on preparing for, and dealing with, flooding before, during and after¹⁹.
• Northern Ireland: nidirect's advice on preparing for a flood, including keeping a list of useful contact numbers such as your local council, the emergency services and your insurance company⁶.

If you want to take the role on, start with your local council or existing flood group. If you want to build the group around you, see Setting Up a Local Emergency Group and Community Flood Plans: What to Include and How to Use One. For the role itself in more detail, read Flood Wardens: What They Do and How to Become One. Households preparing for the water itself will find Flooding: A Household Guide and the Emergency Kit section useful.