Greg Smith MP has hosted a Parliamentary event with Flood Re to focus on "building back better" for areas subject to flooding.
There are currently 5.2 million homes and businesses at risk of flooding in England - as we know all too well in North Buckinghamshire.
Flood Re, the joint initiative between the UK insurance industry and the UK Government to promote the availability and affordability of flood insurance, announced the launch of a new proposition, ‘Build Back Better’, designed to ensure homes are more resilient against future flooding, at a parliamentary reception on 20 April.
Build Back Better enables flood victims to repair their homes with flood resilience and resistance measures. The scheme allows people, through participating insurers, to claim up to £10,000 for flood resilience over and above the cost of work to repair damage caused by a flood. NFU Mutual, Aviva, Ageas, Lloyds Banking Group and LV= General Insurance will be the first to join the Build Back Better scheme during 2022 and early 2023.
From April participating home insurers will begin offering customers access to reimbursement costs of up to £10,000, over and above work to repair damage and loss caused by a flood. The funds will pay for the installation of flood resilience measures that will reduce the impact of future flooding helping the United Kingdom to become more resilient to the changing climate, enabling householders to return to their homes sooner following a flood thus providing vital peace of mind.
Examples of flood resilience measures can include raising electrical sockets and white goods away from floor level, installing self-closing air bricks and flood resistant doors and replacing flooring with waterproof tiling and grout. The reimbursement costs can also include carrying out surveys to understand the flood risk and potential mitigation. Combined with individual action such as moving sentimental items and important documents upstairs when a flood occurs, these changes can help protect householders from the devastating impacts of recurrent flooding and mitigate the financial and emotional consequences.
