{"id":12336,"date":"2025-06-12T14:23:03","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T18:23:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/2025\/06\/12\/storm-damage-how-to-stay-safe-and-what-to-do-in-a-power-cut\/"},"modified":"2025-06-12T14:23:03","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T18:23:03","slug":"storm-damage-how-to-stay-safe-and-what-to-do-in-a-power-cut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/2025\/06\/12\/storm-damage-how-to-stay-safe-and-what-to-do-in-a-power-cut\/","title":{"rendered":"Storm damage: How to stay safe and what to do in a power cut"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

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The Met Office has issued multiple warnings for thunderstorms covering southern England, Wales and southern Scotland. <\/p>\n

Some areas may see torrential downpours of 30-50 mm of rain, which could lead to flash flooding. <\/p>\n

Hail, lightning and gusty winds could also cause problems in parts of the country.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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How can you prepare and protect your home before a storm hits?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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There are a number of steps you can take: <\/p>\n

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  • secure any loose objects outside your property such as bins, ladders, trampolines and outdoor games, garden furniture and tools<\/li>\n
  • check fences and roof tiles are secure<\/li>\n
  • clear guttering of debris such as moss and leaves<\/li>\n
  • if possible, remove any loose or overhanging branches<\/li>\n
  • close and fasten external doors and windows<\/li>\n
  • secure storm shutters, if they are fitted to your home or business<\/li>\n
  • park vehicles in a garage, if you have one; otherwise ensure they are as far away as possible from buildings, trees and fences<\/li>\n
  • close and secure loft trapdoors<\/li>\n
  • make sure you know how to turn off your gas, electricity and water in case you have to leave your home, for example because of flooding<\/li>\n
  • charge mobile phones and any other critical devices including battery packs<\/li>\n
  • gather essential documents such as passports and driving licences, and make sure you have contact and policy details for your insurance company<\/li>\n
  • if you take medication, make sure you have a few days’ supply <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    If you are in a flood-risk area, try to move valuable or essential items upstairs or store them as high as you can on the ground floor.<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Thunderstorm warnings in place as drought declared for millions<\/li>\n
    • Check the UK weather warnings in place<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n

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      What should you do during a storm?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
      \n

      Strong winds can cause damage to buildings, such as tiles coming off roofs, and heavy rain can lead to flooding. Public transport may be disrupted. <\/p>\n

      People are advised to stay inside as much as possible and keep internal doors closed. <\/p>\n

      Unplug any non-essential electrical items in case of power surges. <\/p>\n

      If you do have to go out, you should avoid walking next to buildings, trees and the sheltered side of walls or fences, in case of collapse.<\/p>\n

      You should not attempt to repair any damage to your property or possessions while a storm is in progress. <\/p>\n

      The RSPCA advises bringing all animals inside and ensuring you have sufficient food, bedding and fresh water. <\/p>\n

      Listen out for bad weather warnings on local radio and TV, and check government and news websites for the latest updates.<\/p>\n

      In you become trapped by floodwater, you should go to the highest level of the building you are in. <\/p>\n

      Avoid attic spaces due to the risk of being trapped by rising water, and only go onto the roof if absolutely necessary. Call 999 and wait for help.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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      What should you do if there is a power cut?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
      \n

      If you lose electricity you make sure all non-essential appliances are switched off, but leave a light on so you know when the supply returns. <\/p>\n

      You can report a power cut online or by calling 105, which is a free service in England, Scotland and Wales.<\/p>\n

      Alternatively, you can find the details of your energy network operator by using this postcode search tool.<\/p>\n

      It may put you on a priority list for assistance if you have medical equipment in your home that needs electricity.<\/p>\n

      If you can smell gas and suspect there is a leak in your home, you can report it by ringing 0800 111 999. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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      Can you drive during weather warnings?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
      \n
      \n

      Martin Giles\/BBC<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

      Flood water can be deceptively deep<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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      If you do have to drive, make sure you have essential supplies such as warm clothing, food, drink, blankets and a torch, and carry a fully-charged phone. <\/p>\n

      Drive slowly, and be especially cautious around high-sided vehicles and when overtaking. Give other vehicles extra room. <\/p>\n

      Turn on your headlights or use fog lights if visibility is especially poor. <\/p>\n

        \n
      • AA: How to drive through deep water, heavy rain and floods<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Driving during a weather warning – including the most serious category, red – does not automatically invalidate your car insurance but it may make a claim more difficult. <\/p>\n

        An insurer might try to prove negligence, such as driving on a road when advised not to, and refuse the claim. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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        What should you do after a storm?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
        \n

        Most home building, contents and commercial business policies cover storm damage. <\/p>\n

        If you have suffered damage to your property or possessions you should:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • not do anything that puts you or your household at risk<\/li>\n
        • be especially careful around any exposed electrical or telephone cables<\/li>\n
        • only return to your home or business after a storm when it is safe to do so<\/li>\n
        • contact your insurance company as soon as possible: most have 24-hour emergency helplines, which can advise on next steps and arrange repairs<\/li>\n
        • if necessary, arrange temporary emergency repairs to stop any damage getting worse. Tell your insurer and keep receipts, as this will form part of your claim<\/li>\n
        • unless they are dangerous, don’t throw away damaged items without discussing it with your insurer, in case they can be repaired<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
          \n
          \n

          PA Media<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

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          There is a common misconception that homeowners are responsible for the fences on the left of their property.<\/p>\n

          In fact there is no general rule about which fence belongs to whom, so homeowners should check their title deeds to see which boundaries they own.<\/p>\n

          It can take weeks or even months for a property to fully dry out after storm damage, so you may need to wait some time before redecorating.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Getty Images The Met Office has issued multiple warnings for thunderstorms covering southern England, Wales and southern Scotland. Some areas may see torrential downpours of 30-50 mm of rain, which could lead to flash flooding. Hail, lightning and gusty winds could also cause problems in parts of the country. How can you prepare and protect […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12337,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"","ocean_second_sidebar":"","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"","ocean_custom_header_template":"","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"","ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,21,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-market","category-news","entry","has-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12336"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12336\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}