A total of 539 properties in Great Yeldham and Braintree will now benefit from the Environment Agency's flood warning service.
Flood warnings tell people about an imminent risk of flooding to their home or business and help people make informed decisions about how to respond. There are 3 types of warning - flood alert, flood warning and severe flood warning. Each warning type is triggered by weather, river or sea conditions which cause flooding.
Householders are encouraged to prepare if they receive a flood alert. This could mean packing a bag that includes medicines, insurance documents and anything else they wouldn't want to lose if flooding were to take place. A flood warning calls on people to act now which means turning off gas, water and electricity and moving family and pets to safety. A severe flood warning means you are in immediate danger and to follow advice from emergency services.
Simon Hawkins, Environment Agency Area Director, said:
We know the devastating impact that flooding can have, which is why protecting people and communities is our top priority.
Unfortunately, we can never prevent all flooding. And we know that climate change is causing more extreme weather - increasing the frequency and severity of floods. So, we're working to make communities more resilient to the impacts.
We want to ensure that everyone has as much time as possible to prepare for flooding. Which is why we're pleased that people in these new areas will now be able to receive our free flood warning service.
These services are being introduced as part of the government's record investment on flooding. This builds on the previous £2.6 billion funding which better protected more than 314,000 homes across England.
By March, a total of 62,000 properties at risk of flooding nationally will be able to benefit from the expansion, including many properties in rural and remote locations.
Additional government funding has enabled the Environment Agency to invest in the latest, low-carbon technology and infrastructure needed to provide new flood warning services in Essex.
To benefit the Environment Agency is encouraging people who live in the Great Yeldham and Braintree areas to register for the free flood warning service. This can be done either by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188, or visiting https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/warnings where they can register preferred
