If you live in Oxfordshire, you will be aware that parts of the county are prone to flooding. Thousands of homes and business throughout Oxfordshire have suffered from flooding of some kind recently. The floods of 2007 remain in the memories of many Oxfordshire residents. The whole of the county suffered again in late 2012, and then once more in the floods of December 2013 to January 2014. For those who own a home or business property, you may need to consider some form of flood insurance.
Do I need Flood Insurance?
Flooding can be caused by a variety of factors. It could be a result of something simple, such as blocked drains or a burst water pipe, or something on a larger scale, such as surface water or rapid groundwater flooding as a result of heavy rainfall, or a nearby river, stream or canal bursting its banks. Either way, flooding can spell disaster for your property and possessions. Just a few centimetres of water in your house of business property could result in thousands of pounds worth of damage. Faced with that kind of destruction, you could well be glad you were covered by insurance.
“There’s nobody that’s not at risk of flooding, even people that live on top of a hill.”
– Mary Dhonau, a flood victim herself and now an expert on advising on flood issues through her organisation Know Your Flood Risk.
How Do I Find the Right Flood Insurance?
Homes, contents and buildings insurance comes in all forms, from a wide range of providers. Certain insurance policies may or may not include cover for flooding and flood damage. You may well need flood insurance that will cover you for drying out, repairs and replacement fixtures and fittings, and lost or damaged contents and belonging. You might also need cover for some legal fees, surveyors costs and even temporary accommodation.
Getting the right flood insurance for your property is important. We suggest you speak to an insurance expert. This is the best way to make sure you can get the right flood insurance coverage for your property. It’s easy to go online and compare insurance policy prices, costs and po;icy rates, but it’s much harder to compare insurance policy cover and quality. It would also help if you found a specialist flood insurance broker, and better still, someone with some local knowledge. Someone who will understand the risks (great or small) and who has experience of similar insurance cases to yours.
Being able to speak to someone in person will also help anyone with specific questions, such as:
- I’ve been flooded and I am trying to renewing my insurance
- My renewal premium has suddenly gone up – what can I do?
- I’m new in the property and insuring it for the first time
- What are the costs of flood insurance?
- What does the flood insurance cover?
Floods in Oxfordshire
After the floods the struck across much of Oxfordshire in January 2014, Deputy leader of Oxfordshire County Council Rodney Rose said:
“We have now had significant floods two years running and four times in the last decade, so we may have to face up to flooding as the ‘new normal’ in Oxfordshire.”
Oxfordshire suffered greatly during the 2007 floods, where many of the county’s rivers burst their banks, including the River Thames and River Cherwell in Oxford. Elsewhere in Oxfordshire, towns such as Banbury, Witney, Kidlington, Bladon, Henley and Abingdon also suffered, as well as smaller villages such as East and West Hanney. The Ock, Windrush and Evenlode rivers in Oxfordshire burst their banks, flooding homes and properties nearby. At one time during the 2007 floods, the flood water was so hig at least 1,500 people had to be evacuated from their homes in Abingdon. Many residents of Osney were also evacuated.
Jump forward just a few years to November 2012 and many parts of Oxfordshire are suffering from floods once more, especially parts of Oxford such as the Abingdon Road area. However, worse was to come in January 2014, where many residents of Abingdon Road area said it was the worst flooding they have ever seen. Many other roads in Oxford and around the county also suffer regularly when it floods. Most recently, during the January 2014 floods, Lower Street in Islip, the A329 to Drayton St Leonard, the High Street at Clifton Hampden and Godstow Road in Wolvercote have all been flooded, causing traffic problems for many Oxfordshire residents and commuters. The 2014 floods were also sadly marked by the death of a man, a cyclist who died in floods at Godstow Road, Wytham, Oxfordshire.
Oxford Flood Risk
Oxford has been at particular risk of flooding over the last decade. The city sits in a narrow valley alongside the River Thames. Heavy rainfall in areas further upstream, such as the Cotswolds, will invariably pose a flood risk in parts of Oxford as the levels of the River Thames rise. The valley is especially narrow near the south of the city, making this area at particular risk of flooding.
Also an issue in Oxford is the fact that many of the natural drainage areas have been built on with roads, housing or railways, no longer allowing excess rain water or even flood water from overflowing rivers, to drain away. In some cases, roads act as dams, forcing flood water to build up in certain areas, such as the Botley Road.
