‘Be prepared’: Hull to get a month’s worth of rain this week

Residents are being reminded to do what they can to protect their homes from flooding as Hull faces significant rainfall this week.

The Met Office has forecast the city could experience around 30mm-60mm of water between midnight tonight and Thursday morning. The total average monthly rainfall for this area in January is around 50mm-60mm.

Hull City Council has this afternoon warned that, with the high level of rain expected, some properties will be at increased risk of flooding and the city will experience standing water on roads and low spots.

The council’s gully crews will be out through the night trying to ensure the road network is kept clear and to assist with any localised flooding.

Preparations are underway to further manage the risk by ensuring watercourse trash screens are cleared to make sure there are no blockages, and the storage lagoons for flood alleviation are emptied to have maximum capacity.

Councillor Mike Thompson, Portfolio Holder for Environment at the council, said: “Unfortunately, we are expecting some heavy rainfall over the coming days and we are working with our partners including East Riding Council, the Environment Agency and Yorkshire Water on a combined operational response to ensure our flood assets work as designed, and to share resources.

“However, we also need communities and individuals to be prepared. These can be simple actions such as signing up to flood warnings or preparing an emergency flood kit full of essential items for you and your family, or a flood plan, ensuring you know what action to take if your home or business is flooded.”

To find out more about how you can protect yourself, visit the Environment Agency or Living with Water websites.