The 5 reasons why businesses must be prepared for flooding inside and out and how they can do it incredibly cost-effectively

Flooding causes businesses on average £80,000 in damage … and many of them are not even anywhere near rivers and streams.

The problem is that surface water flooding – also known as flash flooding – is the main reason businesses are flooded in the UK.

It’s often caused by way too much rain falling, such as a cloudburst, which simply overwhelms the drains and, in many cases, is exacerbated by the fact the drains are totally clogged up as they haven’t been cleaned out for years.

In short, businesses must be prepared for flooding 365 days a year … it’s their responsibility and no-one else’s. Councils do not have to provide sandbags or any other form of flood prevention or protection.

So here are 5 reasons why businesses must have those all important flood preparations in place.

One in every four commercial properties are at risk of flooding in the UK which amounts to 436,000 nationwide. This figure is equivalent to all the commercial properties in Greater London, Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh, Merseyside and most of Yorkshire. Of the commercial properties at risk from flooding, 80% are at risk from surface water.
The average cost of flood damage for a business is around £80,000.
A small business can lose up to 50 working days following a flood, often leading to a catastrophic loss of custom and, with orders and shipments stopped or badly delayed too, the financial cost can be huge.
These first two reasons mean that four out of 10 businesses never reopen once they’ve been flooded as it simply takes too long to recover and is too expensive.
Around 90% of smaller companies fail within a year unless they can resume operations within five days following a flood … but that often simply doesn’t happen.

So it’s vital to be prepared to stop floods from outside and quickly deal with escapes of water inside.

One simple and incredibly cost-effective way to do both is with FloodSax devised by Yorkshire company Environmental Defence Systems Ltd. More than 3 million have been sold worldwide.

In their dry state FloodSax are very flat with a large surface area so can soak up escapes of water, drips, leaks and internal floods even in the most inaccessible places such as underneath sinks and beneath pipes, radiators and boilers. They’re vital for health and safety in public places to prevent people slipping on wet surfaces.

Once FloodSax are immersed in water the special gelling polymer inside absorbs it and expands to become an instant sandless sandbag to be used as a protective barrier outside to prevent water getting into the building or to divert it down drains.

FloodSax are the original sandless sandbags and are used by businesses - including major supermarket chains - facilities management companies. Local councils, NHS trusts and homeowners.

We will do free demonstrations for large organisations at their premises so people can see the FloodSax in action, touch and lift them.

Alternatively, in some circumstances we can send out a free pack of 5.

For more information or to arrange a demonstration please email andy@edslimited.co.uk or phone 07985 654822.

For more information go to www.floodsax.co.uk