October 2005

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MORE TH>N urges homeowners and businesses in flood risk areas to be prepared this winter

MORE TH>N URGES HOMEOWNERS AND BUSINESSES IN FLOOD RISK AREAS TO BE PREPARED THIS WINTER

- The floods in October 2000 affected 10,000 properties and cost the insurance industry £1.3 billion.
- Two million households in the UK are still at risk from flooding.
- MORE TH>N flood mapping tool accurately assesses the risk of flood at individual address level.

Five years on from the devastating floods in Autumn 2000 which affected more than 10,000 households, MORE TH>N Home and Small Business Insurance urges homeowners and businesses in flood risk areas to prepare for the forthcoming winter months and avoid further flood damage. Insurer MORE TH>N is offering guidance to homeowners and businesses in areas that could be affected by rising water levels.

David Pitt, Head of Insurance at MORE TH>N, comments: “The autumn of 2000 was the wettest in the UK for 270 years and led to the damage of 10,000 properties. Many people are still at risk of flood especially as climatic changes take place, so homeowners and businesses must be prepared. If you live in a flood risk area, don’t close your eyes and hope for the best, prepare a ‘Flood Plan’ before the worst happens.”

Assessing flood risk accurately is becoming more and more important, with the impact of climate change increasing future flood risk in the UK. The MORE TH>N risk mapping tool has been based on the company’s own geological engineering risk techniques combined with digital terrain mapping, address verification information from Ordnance Survey and a Geographical Information System supplied by ESRI (UK) Ltd.

David Pitt continues “Insurers use varying levels of sophistication to measure flood risk. We are able to pinpoint risk right down to individual address level which means that thousands of homes previously considered at risk of flooding by the insurance industry can now get a better deal from MORE TH>N. We urge the rest of the industry to follow suit for the sake of homeowners across the country.”

As more than 2 million households in the UK are still at risk of flooding, MORE TH>N risk experts have outlined ten ways to be fully prepared this winter:

1. Follow advice, such as evacuation notifications and procedures, given by the Environment Agency (EA) in England, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), in Scotland or your local council. The EA and SEPA have a 24 hour information service called Floodline available on 0845 988 1188. In Northern Ireland businesses can get information from the Rivers Agency. Advice can also be found on their websites:
EA – www.environment-agency.gov.uk.
SEPA – www.sepa.org.uk/flooding
Rivers Agency – www.riversagencyni.gov.uk

2. Have sandbags ready -your local council may be able to provide these -and boards ready to block doors, etc – do this in good time!

3. Keep your insurance policy documents in a water-tight bag in a safe place.

4. Keep a note of your insurer’s Helpline number handy.

5. Prepare a ‘Flood Pack’ and make sure that everyone in your home or business knows where it is. The pack should include: torch, battery-operated radio (with spare batteries), first aid kit, warm clothes, blankets and bottles of water. Keep it in a safe place upstairs. If you have one, remember to take your mobile phone upstairs too, and keep it charged.

6. Think about where to park your car. Is it safe?

7. Be prepared to move furniture, paperwork and valuable items upstairs and out of danger. Remember to include items like photos that have high sentimental value and will be difficult to replace.

8. If you receive warnings of imminent flooding, be ready to switch off gas and electricity supplies but listen for advice on your local radio station. If water levels start to enter your home or business turn off the gas, and the electricity at the main fuse board.

9. Have a map of your local area handy. If you decide to evacuate, bear in mind that some local roads may already be blocked and impassable. Do not attempt to drive across flooded roads if you are able to drive round.

10. If your home or business is flooded, contact your insurance company as soon as possible. Insurance companies are there to help and will know what to do if you have been flooded.

Pre and post flood guidance is available on the MORE TH>N website at ww.morethan.com/home.

-ends-

Home contents insurance from MORE TH>N includes:
- £60,000 contents cover as standard (higher limits available on request).
- Up to £7,500 High Risk items cover for those valuable, more likely to be stolen possessions such as PCs, TVs, Cameras, Jewellery and Art (higher limits available on request).
- ‘New for old’ replacement of damaged or stolen goods.
- 24 hr Emergency Helpline – freephone support and advice available when it’s needed, 365 days a year.
- Up to £150 Emergency Repairs benefit – we will arrange for a competent and experienced contractor to make the repairs – also includes emergency overnight accommodation.
- Children’s College cover – as part of our standard cover, if a child is still living at home, their belongings in their college accommodation are protected (up to 15% of the sum insured).
- Moving Home cover – when moving home belongings are covered against loss or damage as long as professional removal contractors are used.
- Discounts for homeowners with security alarms, British Standard door and window locks and members of Neighbourhood Watch Schemes.

A typical MORE TH>N Business shop or office policy includes:
- Cover for your property (buildings and contents)
- Employee liability (£10 million limit of indemnity)
- Public Liability (£2 million limit with option to increase)
- Money cover to various limits
- Small business risk surveyors
- 24 Hr claims helpline
- Access to free guidance on heath & safety, tax, PAYE and stress counselling
- Discounts for risks with good claims histories and if your property is protected by CCTV
- Option to pay by interest free instalments

MORE TH>N is the direct financial services arm of Royal & Sun Alliance. It offers motor, home, pet, travel and life insurance as well as a credit card via the internet and by phone. It also offers small business, van, shop, office, business car, property, clubs and contractors insurance.

For further information:

Alison McCulloch
External Communications Consultant
MORE TH>N
020 7337 5728

MORE TH>N is a registered trademark of the Royal & SunAlliance Insurance Group plc and a trading style of Royal & SunAlliance Insurance plc (No.93792). Registered in England & Wales at St. Mark’s Court, Chart Way, Horsham, RH12 1XL. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

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