Flood siren testing planned in Grimsby and Cleethorpes
The Environment Agency will carry out annual testing of its flood sirens in Grimsby and Cleethorpes next week.
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The 18 sirens, installed in 2007, help warn more than 25,000 households and local businesses of imminent tidal flooding from the Humber. The siren on the Willows Estate, Grimsby, is used to warn residents about flooding from the River Freshney.
The sirens are secondary to the Environment Agency’s Floodline Warnings Direct Service, which provides targeted flooding alerts via phone call or text to mobile or landlines, or through email.
Testing of the sirens will take place on Friday, 28 August between 10am and 12pm. The test message will last around 2 minutes and will consist of a siren sound followed by a voice recording saying “Testing, testing. This is a test of the Grimsby and Cleethorpes Flood Warning System. No action required. No action required.” There will then be another short siren sound followed by a voice message saying “End of test. End of test. Thank you for your co-operation.”
If you hear the sirens during this time, you do not need to take any action. If flooding was expected on the day, the Agency would reschedule the test for another occasion and issue warnings to those in the affected areas through the Floodline Warnings Direct system. If a severe flood warning is issued, the sirens would also be sounded.
Claire Rose, Flood Resilience Team Leader with the Environment Agency, said:
The Floodline Warnings Direct service gives people as much notice as possible of potential flooding. Our flood sirens are another method of warning when flooding is imminent, so it’s important that we test them to make sure they will work during an emergency.
However, the best way to reduce your own risk is to sign up for our free, targeted flood alerts by calling 0345 988 1188.
Environment Agency staff will be in the Freshney Place shopping centre on Friday, 28 August from 9am to 5pm to answer questions about the sirens and flood risk, including what steps people can take to prepare for an emergency.
Claire continued:
Our flood defences reduce the risk of flooding to thousands of homes and businesses in Grimsby and Cleethorpes, but no defence can ever completely remove all flood risk, so it’s important for people to know what to do before, during and after a flood to protect themselves and their property.
Anyone is very welcome to come and see us at Freshney Place to learn more about flood risk and how they can be prepared.
Steven Coe, Lead Flood Risk Management Officer at North East Lincolnshire Council (the lead local flood authority) said:
During the flood siren testing due to take place, North East Lincolnshire Council staff and its partner Cofely will be joining the Environment Agency in Freshney Place Shopping Centre between 9am and 5pm. We will be available to answer any questions on flood risk and how you can prepare.
There are more than 28,000 registrations with Floodline Warnings Direct in the Grimsby and Cleethorpes area, with about 4,100 properties fully registered.
Warnings issued through Floodline are more targeted and specific, condaining advice on what actions to take and how to get more information. You can see if you’re at risk of flooding and sign up for direct warnings on our page about preparing for flooding.