North West England winter plan: floods, storms, power cuts

Last reviewed: 5 Nov 2026

Follow your local authorities. In an emergency call 999/911.

This page puts the steps in the order to do them and points to the official tool for each. The full costed checklist for a family of four is on the North West England checklist page.

What El Niño may change this winter (UK-wide)

These Met Office statements are for the UK as a whole. The Met Office 3-month Outlook, issued 26.10.2026, says: "There is double the likelihood of a wet 3-month period compared to normal" and "Windy weather and storms are more likely than usual" (Met Office, 3-month Outlook, issued 26.10.2026).

The Met Office also says: "El Niño years are one factor that can increase the risk of colder winters in the UK." (Met Office, El Niño and La Niña). We add no odds of our own. For the whole of the UK see the UK hub and the plan for both outcomes.

The hazards that matter this winter

River and surface flooding. "Flooding is one of our highest priority risks." (Cumberland Council, preparing for flooding). The same sentence is on the Westmorland and Furness Council page.
Storms. "Storms and strong winds are one of the severe weather types that are likely to affect us in Greater Manchester." (Greater Manchester Combined Authority, storm advice).
Power cuts. "Emergencies can disrupt power, water, transport and communications." (British Red Cross, prepare for emergencies). The British Red Cross is a charity, not a government body.
Carbon monoxide. "Using barbecues or camping stoves inside, and turning on vehicle or lawn mower engines in an enclosed space (such as a garage) can also cause a build-up of carbon monoxide." (NHS, carbon monoxide poisoning).

Your plan, in order

Now

Know your risk. "The people most at risk of flooding are those who live in a flood risk area." (Be Ready, flooding). The Environment Agency's service says: "You may be at long term flood risk from rivers, the sea, surface water or groundwater." (Check for flooding). Its England tool is headed "Check the long term flood risk for an area in England" (GOV.UK, check long term flood risk).
Sign up for flood warnings. "Use this service to get flood warnings from the Environment Agency if your home or organisation in England is at risk of flooding. The service is free." (GOV.UK, get flood warnings). The alerts page is headed "Get flood warnings by phone, text or email" (Check for flooding, alerts and warnings).
Make a flood plan. "If you live in a flood risk area, do what you can now to prepare for a flood. Don’t wait until it happens; you may not have time." (GOV.UK, personal flood plan).
Join the Priority Services Registers if you may need extra help. Ofgem says: "Find out more about joining your energy supplier or network operator’s Priority Services Register, and the extra help you’ll get." (Ofgem, Priority Services Register). The industry-run PSR site says: "The Priority Services Register (PSR) is a free service across England, Scotland and Wales that gives extra support to customers who may need it." (The PSR). Electricity North West says: "If a power cut happens, you might need some extra help. Our free Extra Care Register makes it easier to access the support you may need." (Electricity North West, Extra Care). United Utilities says: "Priority Services is free and could help you, your family or your friends benefit from additional support from us so we can respond quickly to those particular needs" (United Utilities, priority services).
Ask about insurance. See "Insurance in one paragraph" below. Greater Manchester Combined Authority says: "Get insurance if you can." (GMCA, flooding).
Check your energy bills. Ofgem says: "Energy regulator Ofgem has today (Wednesday 26 August) announced a 4% increase of the energy price cap for the period covering 1 October to 31 December 2026." (Ofgem press release, 26 August 2026). The checklist page shows when the next cap is announced. GOV.UK says: "If you’re eligible, your electricity supplier will apply the discount to your bill." (GOV.UK, Warm Home Discount). The NHS page is headed "Keep warm and get help with heating" (NHS, keep warm, keep well).

Within 2 weeks

Water. The British Red Cross kit list says: "Three days' supply of drinking water, in case a power cut, drought or flood disrupts the water supply." "Drinking water, enough for three days, allowing around 2.5 to 3 litres per person per day." "To include basic cooking, washing and hygiene, this can increase to around 10 litres per person per day." (British Red Cross, emergency kit). The checklist page shows the quantity for a family of four.
Food. The same Red Cross list includes: "Three days' supply of long-life or ready-to-eat food." and "Tin opener." (British Red Cross, emergency kit).
Light. "Torch and spare batteries, in case of a power cut." (British Red Cross, emergency kit). "Use battery-powered or wind-up torches for lighting. Avoid using candles where possible as they increase the risk of fire." (British Red Cross, power cuts). "Keep a battery or wind-up torch (and spare batteries) at home. Torches are safer than candles." (Be Ready, power cuts).
Carbon monoxide alarms. The NHS page section "How to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning" says: "get a carbon monoxide alarm that makes a loud sound if there's carbon monoxide present – get 1 for each room of your home containing appliances that burn gas, oil, coal or wood" (NHS, carbon monoxide poisoning).
Write down the numbers. "Write down important phone numbers, including 105, your network operator and emergency contacts." (British Red Cross, power cuts).
Medicines and baby feeds. "Your doctor or diabetes nurse will work out how much insulin you need to have at home to last you 1 or 2 months." (NHS, storing and travelling with rapid-acting insulin). "Good hygiene is very important when making up a formula feed." (NHS, making up baby formula).
Flood protection and sandbags. Lancashire County Council says: "The County Council has no statutory duty to provide sandbags to the public." "Residents are strongly encouraged to obtain their own sandbags and flood protection materials in advance." (Lancashire County Council, flooding support). That is Lancashire's policy only: check your own council's. GOV.UK describes its guide: "A guide to adapting your home or business to flooding, and how to pump water out of your property after a flood." (GOV.UK, prepare your property for flooding).

When a warning is issued

Know what the warnings mean. GOV.UK describes its guidance: "What flood alerts and flood warnings mean and what you should do when they're issued." (GOV.UK, flood alerts and warnings). Its before, during and after page says: "Find out what to do if you’re about to be flooded and during a flood" (GOV.UK, flooding: what to do before, during and after a flood).
Emergency Alerts. "Emergency Alerts is a UK government system that provides warning and advice in a life threatening emergency." (GOV.UK, Emergency Alerts).
Expect the fire service to be stretched. Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service says: "During widespread flooding we will be very busy and will have to prioritise our attendance to emergencies where there is a risk to life." (Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, flooding).

During

Follow the emergency services. "During emergencies, always listen carefully to the advice of the emergency services and follow their instructions." (British Red Cross, five tips to plan for emergencies).
A power cut. "Call 105 to be connected to your local network company for further advice." (British Red Cross, power cuts). "We're open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Simply call us on 105 to report your power cut or damage to our equipment." (Electricity North West, power cuts).
Food in a power cut. "Keep fridge and freezer doors closed as much as possible" "Your fridge should stay cold for up to 4 hours." "The food in your freezer should stay frozen for up to 48 hours in a full freezer (or 24 hours if it’s half full), but these are estimates." (Food Standards Agency, food safety in a power cut).
Stay warm. "Keep warm by using blankets and layered clothing." (Be Ready, power cuts). "Keep your home warm – try to heat rooms you spend the most time in, such as the living room or bedroom, to at least 18°C." (Be Ready, cold weather, snow and ice).
Carbon monoxide. The NHS page section "How to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning" says: "do not use a barbecue or camping stove indoors or inside a tent" and "do not leave vehicles or other engines on in enclosed spaces (such as a garage)" (NHS, carbon monoxide poisoning).

After

Tap water. GOV.UK, under "After a flood, you can stay healthy by:", says: "not using tap water if you notice a change in the colour, taste or smell - contact your water company if this happens" (GOV.UK, after a flood).
Cleaning up. "This guidance provides advice for everyone on how to keep you and your family safe while cleaning up your home affected by flooding." (GOV.UK, flooding and health advice for the public).

Alerts and who to call

| For | Contact | Source | |---|---|---| | Emergency | 999 | The safety line above | | "Floodline" | "Telephone: 0345 988 1188" | GOV.UK, help during a flood | | Power cuts | "Call 105 to be connected to your local network company for further advice." | British Red Cross, power cuts |

Local help

Salford. "This information has been produced by Salford City Council's Emergency Planning Unit and aims to show how preparation for, and response to, major emergencies in Salford takes place." (Salford City Council, emergencies).
Cumberland. "Flooding is one of our highest priority risks." (Cumberland Council).
Westmorland and Furness. "Flooding is one of our highest priority risks." (Westmorland and Furness Council).

Insurance in one paragraph

Flood Re is not a government domain; it says: "Flood Re is a joint initiative between the Government and insurers. Its aim is to make the flood cover part of household insurance policies more affordable." (Flood Re). It adds: "The Flood Re Tool will tell you if your property might qualify for support." (Flood Re, find an insurer).

More guides

Gaps we know about

River detail for the Eden, the Irwell and Lancashire. We found no Environment Agency river-risk page for Eden (Cumbria) or Lancashire. We cite no Irwell river source. A Check for flooding location page for Irwell Vale was a snapshot on 2026-11-05 and is not used, so this page states no current flood status for any place. Check your own postcode at the Check for flooding service.
Costs. No page we read prints a price for the kit items, so this page lists none. The checklist page holds the cost estimates, which are our table figures and not sourced prices.
Water total for four people. The Red Cross gives a per-person figure only, so we give no household total. The checklist page holds the quantities.
Food and tin opener quantities. The Red Cross list gives "three days" and no per-person amount, so we give none.
Generators. The NHS page names portable generators as a source of carbon monoxide but has no instruction sentence on them, so we give none.
Sandbags outside Lancashire. We found a sandbag policy only for Lancashire County Council. We have no sourced sandbag policy for Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness, Salford or the rest of Greater Manchester. Ask your own council.
Flood Re terms. We did not check the current Flood Re scheme terms or its Build Back Better limits, so we state no limit or eligibility rule here. The Flood Re tool is the place to check.
Energy bills from January 2027. We give no figure for 1 January 2027 onward. The figure quoted above is for 1 October to 31 December 2026 only. The checklist page shows when the next announcement is due.
Power-cut and flood odds. We give no outage frequency or flood probability of our own. No source we read gives a North West figure.
Water company and utility numbers. We copied no United Utilities phone number, and no electricity number other than 105. We have no sourced statement of which network operator serves your address; 105 connects you to the local one.
Why El Niño matters for the North West. The Met Office 3-month Outlook is UK-wide. Its sentence linking El Niño to wetter, stormier conditions is a bullet with no full stop, so we do not quote it, and we found no North West figure.
Food prices and supply. The Red Cross El Niño explainer makes a claim about imported food, prices and scarcity. It is a charity page and not a government figure, so we give no food-price or scarcity forecast.
Past floods. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority report on the 26 December 2015 flood is historical, and we quote nothing from it.
Medicine storage. We give no storage temperature or conditions for medicines.
GOV.UK flood-risk and insurance lists. The list items on the GOV.UK prepare-for-flooding and get-insurance pages are fragments that do not stand alone, so we do not quote them.
Food safety after a flood. We did not quote the Food Standards Agency list for food after a flood because its list items do not stand alone as instructions.