According to a survey done recently, about 6 and a half million homes in the United Kingdom are at risk for flooding, with about one and a half million of them lying in high risk areas. Are you one of the six and a half million? Just thinking about that should make you a little nervous. So far in the UK, the government has prepared and completed flood protection for only around 80,000 homes.



With this fact, you might be in a lot of trouble if you can not obtain flood coverage for your home. You must know by now that if you live in a high flood risk area, insurance providers are not welcoming you with open arms to obtain their flood coverage. If global warming continues, this problem is only going to get bigger, and by 2030, the number of homes at risk is epected to be as high as three and a half million. This number is huge, and is something that everyone in the United Kingdom should pay attention to and prepare for.

Due to the severe flooding in the UK in recent years, especially in high risk areas, many insurance providers have begun considering the removal of flood insurance coverage from their policies. These companies have been hit hard by millions of pounds worth of claims. If the government is not able to increase the budget for flood defences, the companies will have to drop this coverage.

It is up to the DEFRA, or Department for Environmental, Food, and Rural Affairs to develop and maintain flood defences in the United Kingdom. The immediate result of all of the severe flooding is that residents of high risk areas who are somehow able to keep their flood coverage are seeing skyrocketing premium prices.

This news is especially bad for people in high risk areas, who are facing increases up to 400% in their premiums. Unfortunately if you live in these areas, you should not be surprised if renewal of your policy is denied or you are unable to purchase a policy to cover floods at all.

Recent internet reports show that if DEFRA does not take action swiftly, the current annual flood damage rate of 950 million pounds a year could quickly rise to as high as 3.2 billion pounds a year. The average claim for flood damage to a household in the UK is 30,000 pounds, staggeringly higher than the average claim for damage caused by fire.

To help control these costs, the Association of British Insurers, or ABI, is pressuring DEFRA to make haste in upgrading and installing defences against flooding in the United Kingdom, predominantly in high risk zones.

If you want to know if your current home or one you plan to move in to is one of the almost seven million at risk from flooding, you can check the flood maps at DEFRA's website, located at www.environment-agency.gov.uk. You can not ignore these facts, as your entire future might well be at stake, so please, find out today if you are at risk.