Floods, Storms & Snow

The Meteorological Office issues warnings when severe weather is expected. Regional warnings are issued when severe weather is expected to cause disruption to traffic etc. over the next few hours. Advance warnings are issued when severe weather is expected to cause widespread disruption to traffic etc. over the next few days.

Use this link to see a full definition of the criteria used for severe weather warnings and the likely impacts on the community.

Floods

The Isle of Wight is fortunate in that it has not experienced major flooding in recent history, although flash floods seriously affected most parts of the Island in September 2002.

Photo courtesy of the Isle of Wight County Press.
Picture by Jennifer Burton

If there are any reports of serious incidents of flooding the Emergency Planning Team will co-ordinate the Council’s response and liaise with the Fire & Rescue Service and the Environment Agency. If necessary, a Liaison Officer will be sent to assess the situation and provide assistance to property owners. This could range from simple advice to, in the worst case, help in finding alternative accommodation.

Generally speaking, the householder is responsible for protecting their property against flooding, it is not the Council’s responsibility and it is far better to think ahead and act in advance.

Look on the Environment Agency’s web site Floodline page to find out if your area is at risk from flooding, advice on how to protect your property from flooding and what to do if you are affected

Call the FLOODLINE on 0845 988 1188

Provision of Sandbags

In an Emergency, the Isle of Wight Council will, where possible, endeavour to assist by issuing sandbags. These are provided primarily, to stop the flooding of properties by water running off the highway.

However, it is your responsibility to protect your property. Sandbags can be purchased direct from the following outlets:

JA Dempsey 01983 403021
Mountjoy 01983 550250 (office hours) or

01983 526999 (out of hours emergency)

To request sandbags, call the Council’s Highways department on:

01983 823777 during normal office hours
01983 525121 at all other times.