Despite the dry weather, many of our FCRM and communications colleagues have spent the summer preparing for the inevitable rain that will come during the winter, and as you all know preparing this year’s Flood Action Campaign. 

Every year, we campaign to make sure people in our communities know what to do in a flood and to ensure that more people sign up to flood warnings – helping to keep them, their homes and their families safe.

 This year, the campaign will launch on the 29^th November and we need trusted voices like you to support us on social media to help make the campaign a success. 

Using the strapline ‘Prepare Act Survive’, the 2018/19 campaign will again focus on young people aged 18 to 34, particularly renters and young families. Evaluation from last year’s campaign shows that, although we’re closing the knowledge gap, they are still the least likely to know they are at risk of flooding or know what to do if a flood happens. 

Adding your voice to the campaign helps us to get those vital messages out faster and we are asking all staff who use social media to get involved and #JustOneThing, which is the theme of this year’s campaign. 

Here’s a reminder of what we are asking you to do:

Record a video or take a photograph, telling us #JustOneThing you would save in a flood and why. It can be anything personal to you - perhaps a childhood toy, your child's first drawing, designer shoes, your wedding outfit? It's up to you.

When the campaign goes live, post your video online and add text to ask your friends/followers what they would save in a flood and encourage them to post their own pictures on Instagram

Tag in our North West Twitter account @EnvAgencyNW and use the hashtags #JustOneThing and #PrepareActSurvive. Make sure you link through to the what to do in a flood page on GOV.UK - this is a key part of helping people to know what to do in a flood and keeping them safe. 

And, that is it. In only a tiny part of the time it takes to make that video or post your picture - you could have got your followers to sign up for flood warnings and help, at least reduce, one possible nightmare.

 Flooding isn’t just an inconvenience, it is a killer. With your help we can really turn up the volume of our Flood Action Campaign and make our voices heard when it matters most.