Sandra from Ballater in Aberdeenshire was flooded in December 2015. Following this, she was in temporary accommodation for 17 months whilst her home was renovated. The experience of the flood and being out of her home for so long, brought its own stress and upset. As part of the post- flooding renovations, Sandra had a number of property resilience measures installed including concrete floors to replace the original timber ones; waterproof membrane on walls and she made use of the work to install close cell insulation on her walls. She has also invested in flood resistance measures, including airbrick covers and flood barriers for all the doors – these give her great reassurance that should flooding happen again she would have time to prepare and move valuables before any water makes it into her home.

Tim and June from Yalding in Kent bought their home with some property flood resilience measures already in place, however in December 2013 the flood skirt protecting their home was overtopped. Since then they have further adapted their home to reduce the impacts of future floods – including reconfiguring the layout of their living and sleeping areas by adding an extra storey. These changes have significantly reduced the trauma and disruption that flooding causes to their family’s life.

Paul from Bewdley in Worcestershire and his family were in temporary accommodation for 15 months following their first flood. The stress of the flood, as well as living in a two bedroom flat with his wife and four teenage children, brought its own challenges. Since then, they’ve installed a number of property flood resilience measures in their home, including a flood door, extra pumps, raised sockets, hardwood skirting boards and porcelain tiles. The family were so well prepared for the next flood in February 2022 that they didn’t need to move out at all. They had such little water in their home they were dry and watching TV in the lounge 48 hours later thanks to the property flood resilience measures they had in place.

Gordon from Ballater in Aberdeenshire and his wife were flooded on Hogmanay in 2015. They came home to find their Christmas tree knocked over and mud throughout their home, covering their carpets and up their walls. Months of drying out and renovations followed with concrete floors reinstated and non-return valves installed. Since then, they’ve invested in a number of property resilience measures including hydrosacks, air brick covers and flood barriers for their doors. They now live with the reassurance and peace of mind that if flooding were to happen again, the combination of concrete floors and barriers mean that their home is better protected.