The Flood Innovation Centre’s newly appointed Project Managers are urging eligible businesses to book a free flood survey and take advantage of the fully funded follow-up support on offer as the project enters its final six months.
It has recently been announced that Anton James (Business Development Co-ordinator) and Chun Keat Yew (Technology Research Manager) will share the role of Project Manager after the Flood Innovation Centre’s former Project Manager, Pip Betts, moved on to a new role at the end of 2022.
Anton and Chun both have a wealth of experience of working with businesses, charities and community groups to help them boost their flood resilience, and each bring a different area of expertise to their new shared Project Manager role.
As the Flood Innovation Centre’s work is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, time is running out for businesses and charities to take advantage of the support on offer before the cut-off point in June. Therefore, Anton and Chun are keen to give as many eligible organisations as possible a chance to sign up for a free flood survey, as well as free follow-up support and guidance to help them act upon the findings.
Chun said: “We’re urging eligible businesses to take action to better protect their premises, employees and other assets against the risk of flooding by requesting a free flood survey and follow-up support before it’s too late. We’re currently funded to provide support to eligible Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in several areas of the country, but the funding won’t be around forever so it’s essential that anyone who’s worried about the potential impact of flooding on their business comes forward as soon as possible.”
Anton explained: “As well as offering free flood surveys, our knowledgeable team is able to work with business owners to help them understand the findings of their survey and how to make changes aimed at making their businesses more resilient to flooding.”
He added: “Communities face a variety of different types of flood risk, but climate change, coupled with increasing urbanisation, means that flood events are happening more frequently. If you want to future proof your business against the threat of flooding, don’t delay; contact our friendly team today!”
The Environment Agency estimates that the average cost of damage suffered by businesses during a flood event is around £82,000. As many as 40 per cent of businesses never reopen after being flooded, and a further 25 per cent of businesses that do reopen go on to fail within a year.
Thankfully, by taking a few simple steps to protect their premises, businesses can give themselves a fighting chance of surviving future flooding events. In fact, every £1 spent on property flood resilience measures can save businesses around £5 in flood damage. Property flood resilience is a term used to describe measures that reduce the risk of flood damage to properties, speed up the recovery process and enable people to get back into their properties quicker after flooding. These measures are installed in business premises, as well as people’s homes, to make them less vulnerable to flooding. Property flood resilience solutions are bespoke to each property; the aim is to identify the measures that are most appropriate for your premises and the type of flooding you face.
To request a free flood survey or to find out more about the support on offer, contact the Flood Innovation Centre by telephoning 01482 462275, emailing flic@hull.ac.uk or completing the online registration form.