Has Anybody Here Ever Had a House Flooded?

Oh Yea!!. three yrs ago this coming Feb, caused by very heavy rain, the roads were flooded and water came up through the sewage drains at the back of the house. The water table at the best of times is only about one foot below ground level. Anglian Water didn’t want to know, and it took me 16 hrs,the next day, just to clear one sewage pipe, to drain the whole of the back garden, however, damage to the inside of the house was limited to the kitchen, and no, my Insurance wouldn’t pay out, as we live in the “Flat lands” which are below Sea level anyway.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

No CD – as I said it was nearly 60 years ago and I’ve moved many times since then.

You don’t live in the same house then?

My brother lives off Molesey Park Road and can see the Mole and Ember from his house.

There were none then, CD but it’s in the KT7 area. And it was the confluence of the Mole and the Ember in fact. My brother lives in Whitstable and despite the fact the major flooding was in 1953 and several schemes to prevent further inundation have taken place over the years some insurance companies were very difficult, but oddly not all. He did get insured.

Thanks for all the replies so far; there are a surprising number of you!

The reason I ask is that I’ve been looking at a house that is in a high flood-risk area and which has flooded in the past and I am having trouble getting insurance quotes.

I’d be particularly interested to hear from anybody who’d had trouble with (post) flood insurance.

Yes in about 1956/7 when the Mole burst its banks…

You don’t have a postcode for that house do you…..my brother has just moved to East Molesey!

Yes, My first house it was brand new. 1972 we were skint at the time so very little to damage and the floors were all Marley Tile. The Fire Brigade cleared it all for us(about 4″) and mopped it up. Nice of them but it was their fault really as it happened due to them pumping out Chipping Sodbury Railway tunnel in the first place which was about 100 yards away. It took them hours as their pumps did not work on less than a foot of water! My heart goes out to those who end up with the contents of sewers and a lifetimes treasures and memories gone!

Yes in about 1956/7 when the Mole burst its banks and we had about 6″ throughout the ground floor. We were lucky being that far away – nearer where the Mole met the Thames some houses were flooded to the first floor.

Yes. Twice around 1958 when the River Exe flooded much of the St. Thomas district of Exeter. Our house was flooded to a depth of about 18 inches with muddy stinking water. It was drawn up the walls by capillary action to a greater height. The Army came to help but made matters worse driving the local girls around in their DUKWs at speed up and down the roads causing a bow wave to flood the houses even deeper.

In Rothes in 2002 we had a long spell of rain and watched the water rising in the street until eventually it came up through the floor to a depth of around 2.5 feet. We lost a lot of photos and other irreplaceable stuff as did a lot of others in the village. It was a bizzare sight, seeing torrents rushing down the street and over bridges. My car, a Volvo, parked outside the house was flooded half way up the windscreen. Once the water receded everything stank and the clear up began. The car insurers sent a truck to pick up the car and just out of curiosity, I put the keys in the ignition and it started first time!