How to create a site specific flood emergency response plan

The intent of a Flood Emergency Plan is to commit to a best effort in making reasonable plans and preparations to reduce the impact of a flood.

PROPERTY RISK SOLUTIONS

TECHNICAL GUIDE

FLOOD EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN

Given careful preparation and a good flood emergency plan, the damage effects of a flood situation can largely be mitigated. It is not expected that a site will engage in any form of active “flood fight” during the event to prevent the flood waters from entering site nor expected spend heavily on specialist equipment to perform the planned tasks.

The expectation is that they will make best use of available staff equipment and time to develop a strategy to reduce loss in practical pre-planned ways.

The site should develop a full understanding of the flood scenario, key vulnerabilities, available and reasonable manpower and resources to develop a plan which requires minimal training and realistic investment.

It is strongly recommended that all sites that lie within a 500 year flood zone should have a Flood Emergency Flood Plan. In particular sites within a 100 year flood zone should have a detailed flood plan that is reviewed annually.

Flood Emergency Plan Requirements: A. The site should take steps to understand the nature of the

flood hazard and the potential areas that could be exposed.

1. The source and direction of the flood.

2. Weather events that may trigger flood and/or surface water inundation.

3. An estimation of the time taken to flood the site, given an understanding of the initiating event. From this an evaluation of the time needed to effect the site’s flood defence plans and actions.

4. The likely depth of water both on site and in low lying areas such as basements.

5. The flooding likelihood. This is usually the flood return level.

6. An estimation of the length of time water will remain in the facility,

7. An estimation of the damage that would be suffered and the resultant business impact.

DRAFT

RecommendationIt is strongly recommended that all sites that lie within a 500 year flood zone should have a Flood Emergency Flood Plan. In particular sites within a 100 year flood zone should have a detail flood plan that is reviewed annually.

PROPERTY RISK SOLUTIONS

FLOOD EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN

B. The plan must clearly designate the person(s) that has responsibility and authority to activate the plan and flood response. In addition all leadership roles must be clearly defined and designated. The plan must also take into consideration of how normal operations will respond considering time and conditions in which these operations will be terminated.

C. Within the plan, there will be certain actions when deployed will have significant impact over the whole site or affect key operations. These would include the powering down of electrical power of the shutdown of gas and other utilities. This person(s) should be clearly defined, designated and their authority reinforced. The procedures for powering down or shutting down sites and processes should be fully documented. This should include not only the task but also timing of the shut down processes.

D. A plan should be made to remove standing or ponding water in key critical areas such as basements contain high value equipment or ponding in the racking storage areas.

E. Practices and procedures for relocating equipment and storage to higher levels should be fully planned and documented.

F. Staff designated with roles and responsibilities must understand their roles fully. The roles should be documented and training provided where necessary.

G. A person should be designated to monitor flood information official sources such as the government, local authorities, media and jurisdictional bodies.

H. Key contractors and suppliers should be identified and even retained in case of flood. These would include but not limited to: generator hire, emergency sump pumps, sandbags, mops, buckets, forklift trucks etc.

I. A plan should be made as to the best way to clean up the site following the flood. This will consider issues such as potential contamination, clean up material and equipment, drainage requirements, consent for water release into waterways, repair of facility and equipment, power up protocols, communication with authorise and best ways to restore business and minimise interruptions.

J. The plan should be reviewed and practiced annually.

2Flood Emergency Response Plan

Given careful preparation and a good flood emergency plan, the damage effects of a flood situation can largely be mitigated.

6666/FloodEmergencyResponsePlan/JUNE2016QBE European Operations is a trading name of QBE Insurance (Europe) Limited and QBE Underwriting Limited, both of which are authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

QBE European Operations Plantation Place 30 Fenchurch Street London EC3M 3BD tel +44 (0)20 7105 4000 QBEeurope.com

Flood checklist

PROPERTY RISK SOLUTIONSTECHNICAL GUIDE

FLOOD CHECKLIST

PRIOR TO FLOOD SEASON EACH YEAR Date to be completed by

Done

Review the site’s pre-prepared Flood Emergency Plan. Include in the review possible external exposures such as neighbouring facilities or access / egress issues during the flood.

Ensure local flood area protections are in good condition – e.g. walk river banks berm, walls, levees, bridges and ensure these are in good condition and properly maintained.

Check local culverts, bridges and onsite drainage systems are unobstructed

Check condition of onsite flood protection features and equipment – including hand operated valves which may have seized or rusted & water removal equipment such as sump pumps. Make sure installation procedures are well practised.

Check availability of sandbags and essential back up equipment such as diesel generators. Also check tarpaulins and blankets are in good supply and condition. List the priority areas for protection and ensure the basics such as proper construction of sandbag walls are well practiced.

Ensure all members of flood emergency team are fully briefed and each knowledgeable of their duties and responsibilities.

BEFORE THE FLOOD - ON ALERT OF IMMINENT FLOOD CONDITIONS Time needed Done

Assign a person to monitor flood conditions and local conditions from government agencies, local authorities and on site. Ensure this person has direct communication access to senior management, operations team and the flood response team.

Ensure sandbags are available and ready to be deployed.

Ensure flood doors and shields are installed at predefined locations.

Check Sump Pumps and water removal equipment are ready, fuelled, and operational.

Cover large stationary machinery and make sure they are anchored securely.

Shut down gas and flammable liquid pipelines

Shut down key electrical supplies to minimise the threat of fire

Relocate to safe areas or higher place:

• On Floor storage in warehouse and yard

• On floor equipment

• Vehicles – cars, trailers, tractors

• Water sensitive materials and equipment – such as drawing stores, files records, computer storage.

Take time before hand to evaluate when the pre-flood season activities should take place and also the realistic time needed to carry out the listed activities when flood is imminent, this will guide you in initiating these activities at the proper time.

PROPERTY RISK SOLUTIONS

FLOOD EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN

2Flood Emergency Response Plan

AFTER THE FLOOD - ACTIONS IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE FLOOD

Convene a meeting to coordinate action and salvage operations. Assess repair requirements, resources and business resumption plans / activities.

Check structural integrity and stability of all buildings and structures.

Check and assess all potential contamination situations and conditions. Make plans to clear up before other work begins.

Remove ponding and standing water on site.

Clean and dry sensitive equipment – these should have been identified for priority treatment in the emergency plan.

Deploy specialist team to safeguard and make good electrical equipment’s and distribution systems.

Begin de – humidifying operations. Dry wet building structures, materials and insulations.

Ensure good workflow in the removal of wet debris and damaged material.

Ensure all fire protection systems such as sprinkler systems are operational and continue to be so.

Ensure all site safeguards are invoked – such as permit systems and contractor control.

Check the conditions of local structures that may have been affected or damaged by the flood e.g. blocked culverts, drains, bridges, overhead electrical systems, substations.

Maintain good communication channels to all working parties and ensure al works are coordinated.

BEFORE THE FLOOD - ON ALERT OF IMMINENT FLOOD CONDITIONS Time needed Done

Anchor outdoor tanks or fill them with water or product to prevent them from floating away. Ensure vent lines on active tanks are extended above maximum anticipated water level

Provide barricades for critical external equipment to prevent damage from floating debris

Lash down portable containers of flammable or combustible liquids.

Check roof, yard or floor drains to ensure they are clear and ensure they are free from debris and blockages throughout the flood emergency.

Check that backflow preventers on drains are operational to prevent back flow through drains

Ensure Salvage Crew fully staffed, on alert and equipped to take action

Put contractors and equipment suppliers on alert (e.g. emergency diesel hire companies)

Consider adequacy of security and surveillance and increase if necessary

Ensure the ability to maintain fire protection systems and that they are all in an operational state during the flood emergency e.g. install barriers around sprinkler risers and safeguard foam supplies.

6666/FloodChecklist/JUNE2016QBE European Operations is a trading name of QBE Insurance (Europe) Limited and QBE Underwriting Limited, both of which are authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

QBE European Operations Plantation Place 30 Fenchurch Street London EC3M 3BD tel +44 (0)20 7105 4000 QBEeurope.com

Whilst flooding to some degree can always be a risk, especially where existing commercial premises are sited in flood prone areas, there are often measures that can be taken to reduce the risk of flood waters entering buildings and to limit resultant damage to property and interruption to business.

PROPERTY RISK SOLUTIONS

TECHNICAL GUIDE

FLOOD EMERGENCY RESPONSE

A structured approach to developing formal flood emergency response protocols is perhaps the most effective way of achieving this. This will involve reviewing a property’s susceptibility to flooding and identifying actions that can be taken before, during and following flooding, to prevent or mitigate the consequences of the event.

Are your premises exposed to the threat of flood? In assessing this, it is important to consider the various types of flooding that could occur:

• River flooding - this happens when a watercourse cannot cope with the volumes of water draining into it from the surrounding land and results in waters overtopping its banks

• Coastal flooding – usually occurs due to a combination of high tides and storm conditions

• Surface water flooding – this happens when heavy rainfall exceeds the drainage capacity in a given area

• Sewer flooding – occurs when sewers are overwhelmed by heavy rainfall or when they become blocked

• Groundwater flooding – occurs when water levels in the ground rise above surface levels

• Reservoir flooding – although not a frequent occurrence, failure of a dam or retaining measures could result in large volumes of water affecting local areas.

What are the chances of your facility suffering river or coastal flooding?When considering exposures to a property located within a known flood zone, it is more likely that a significant loss will occur as the result of flooding rather than fire.

The probability of flooding is usually expressed as a return frequency – e.g. a location may be exposed to flooding from a 1 in 100 year flood event. This does not mean that a location can suffer flooding only once in a 100 year period, rather it indicates each and every year there is a 1% chance of flooding.

It is important to remember that because a location lies outside of predicted flood plains, this does not mean that it can never flood. Flooding types other than coastal or from rivers (ie surface water, sewer, groundwater, and reservoir) may still pose a risk.

Remember

Being located in a 1 in 100 year flood zone does not mean that flooding will only occur once every 100 years. It means that each and every year there is a 1% chance of flooding.

PROPERTY RISK SOLUTIONS

FLOOD EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN

2Flood Emergency Response

Flood emergency planningWherever the property lies, flood emergency planning is key to mitigating the exposure. A suitable flood emergency response plan should be fully documented and trigger appropriate checks, safeguards, actions by nominated personnel that should be taken prior to, immediately preceding, during and following a flood. It should also trigger regular training of nominated personnel and periodic review to ensure it remains up to date.

When flooding is imminent• Put in place any temporary flood defence measures, as

identified in the response plan

• Raise susceptible equipment off the ground

• Relocate stocks to higher positions (eg take stocks from the lowest tier of racking to higher positions)

• Secure materials/ vessels/ equipment that could be dislodged and become “battering rams” when pushed by flood water (pay particular attention to gas bottles and yard areas)

• Prepare to isolate electrical and other utility supplies.

During a flood:• On an “if safe to do so” basis, maintain a security presence.

Following flooding:• Verify buildings are safe to enter

• Establish clean up operations. Remove standing water as soon as possible

• Check drains remain unblocked, streams / culverts / ditches etc are clear of obstructions

• Clean, dry and test electrical distribution equipment before re-energising

• Establish any specialist cleaning requirements for susceptible equipment as determined necessary during pre-planning stage

• Establish dehumidification of areas that have experienced flooding.

Pre-planning steps:

Identify areas where flood waters could easily enter the building(s). Consider all different types of flooding, and develop plans / measures to prevent ingress (both permanent and temporary solutions)

• Identify high value or critical equipment / stocks that are located in basement areas and if possible relocate above ground. Raise such equipment / materials on exposed ground floor areas

• Consider permanent localised protection (eg walls / kerbs) around high value equipment

• Avoid holding stocks directly on the floor. For some susceptible stocks, even a few centimetres of water could potentially result in significant damage

• Install non-return valves on drains, designed to prevent back-up

• On a regular basis, check drains remain unblocked, streams / culverts / ditches etc are clear of obstructions (check both upstream and downstream positions)

• Pay particular attention to bridges where debris may accumulate causing water to back-up

• Regularly verify the functionality of sump pumps

• Keep a stock of equipment / materials needed to establish temporary flood defences (e.g. sand bags, temporary ‘slot-in’ barriers etc) and clean/ drying up operations

• Establish a process to receive flood warnings from government agencies

• For new construction projects, elevate the floor slab of proposed buildings to above anticipated flood levels.

Our Risk Management Team would be happy to review your Flood Emergency Response Plan if you would like a second opinion.

6834/FloodEmergencyResponse/JULY2016QBE European Operations is a trading name of QBE Insurance (Europe) Limited and QBE Underwriting Limited, both of which are authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

QBE European Operations Plantation Place 30 Fenchurch Street London EC3M 3BD tel +44 (0)20 7105 4000 QBEeurope.com

Guidance and enquiries

Flood Mitigation Checklist

www.qbeeurope.com/documents/riskmanagement/property/Flood checklist.pdf

Developing a Flood Emergency Response Planwww.qbeeurope.com/documents/riskmanagement/ property/Developing a Flood Emergency Response Plan.pdf

Guidance and enquiries RS@uk.qbe.com

Information relating to the flood potential in any given area can be found at the following websites:

www.environment-agency.gov.uk (for England and Wales) www.sepa.org.uk (for Scotland) www.floodmaps.ie (for Republic of Ireland) 46.137.120.35/strategicFloodMap (for Northern Ireland)