News of house flooding in the UK is all over the TV and newspapers but unless you have been affected, or know someone whose has a flooded house, the damage and disruption home flooding causes never really registers fully in your mind.

Flooded house for JuggleFrogs

At just gone midnight last Friday, Louise (one of the JuggleFrogs team) suffered the consequences of the British weather when her house flooded. I was with her as we waited for news on the rising waters. The drainage water was kept at bay for around 12 hours so she thought her house was safe but in the end the River Avon broke its banks and from then on it was just a matter of time before the water came in and I don't just mean an inch of water the house was flooded up to the kitchen sink.

It was a terrible experience - the lack of power to prevent the water coming in was overwhelming - there was just nothing more we could do. Seeing the house flooding devastation first hand was pretty startling. Louise has been very brave and true to form has battled through, trying to get things back to normal as quickly as possible.

Based in Warwickshire, her house was badly effect by the floods and at the worst point her lounge and kitchen were filled with over three feet of water, not something you'd ever want to see.

I was with Louise when she first saw her flooded house and it was a very emotional experience. With fears that it could still rise, we waded into the freezing cold water (mixed with sewage) to see what we could rescue. There is actually not much you can do if your house is flooding until the water has drained and then, once the clear up operation has commenced, you are in the lap of in the insurance gods.

Is anything you can do to prevent your home flooding?

If on a flood plain, you are unlikely to keep water out of your home completely once the banks burst. If you happen to have a water-excluding structure then of course this may be the exception. If flooding is very severe, water can enter through doors, windows, airbricks, vents, drains, walls and even through the ground floor. Get the sand bags in and move everything off the floor.

Louise says "At the time you just don't believe it's really going to happen. When it does it's faster than you think - by the time we knew the river banks were going to burst it was too late - we just couldn't move everything in time".

In the event of house flooding, keep safe, warm, watered and switch off any gas and electrics!

Louise's lack of mobile phone reception added further complications "Don't rely on your mobile phone - I lost all reception and could not make essential calls to my partner". Get to somewhere safe if you can and work out a way of keeping in touch with people who can help you.

For an Environment Agency document with more advice on home flooding preparation and what to do when your house is flooded visit the Environment Agency website.

Home Insurance - flood insurance claim

When you are safe and initial danger has gone, phone your insurance company to register your flooded house claim. You should check what is covered by your policy in terms of both buildings and contents - enquire whether it covers "extra" costs such as temporary accommodation, drying apparatus and electricity/gas inspections. You need to know your position so that you know exactly how to accurately claim for your home flooding loss.

A startling fact I heard the other day was that only a quarter of people overall in the UK have contents insurance! Let's hope most of those are unaffected by these recent floods. Without insurance, flood repair can be a very expensive process and generally speaking, local authorities do not have a responsibility towards repair (except for their own buildings) although most will provide some help.

Home flooding - cleaning up your flooded house

Once the water levels have reduced you can then start the huge clean-up operation. Louise says "Our friends and family were amazing, they all mucked in to sort out the mess caused by the floods - we couldn't have cleaned up so quickly without them and at a time when we were emotionally and physically shattered, their support was invaluable".

During the flood clear-up process it is important to assess the damage and document everything. Remember you are more likely to under-estimate than over-estimate your loss so write everything down and take pictures if you can. Unless hazardous or perishable, do not throw anything away or undertake work until you have understood from your insurance broker or company what process is required - it may prejudice your claim. Before moving/repairing anything, try to take photographs or video footage of damage in your flooded house and mark the water levels on the walls for the reference of the insurers.

House flooding - get reputable tradesmen in

Unluckily for Louise and her fiancé Ben, they had only recently installed a new kitchen - GUTTED. After slaving over his new kitchen tiles for many many months, Ben says "There is no way I'm letting them take those bl**dy tiles away!" Now they need to get some more tradespeople in to sort the flood damage out.

It's a sad fact but it's at times like these that the cowboys come out of the woodwork so if you are looking for people to help then double-check everything - you don't want another disaster to deal with. Cowboy builders will try to exploit peoples' desperation after home flooding. They may not be appropriately trained and qualified in flood repair. Do not pay cash in advance and obtain signed receipts for all work done.

Your insurance company, often in conjunction with a loss adjuster, may appoint a builder to help you. Alternatively, you may be asked to contact several builders yourself and obtain competitive quotes for work required and seek approval from the insurance company before building work can begin. If you are not insured then you will need to choose a builder yourself.

Ensure you select a reputable builder and where possible you should use a firm that is recommended to you, either by JuggleFrogs, by your local authority, insurer or loss adjuster or by personal contact. Beware of builders touting from door to door.

The British Damage Management Association (BDMA), the certifying authority for practitioners in flood recovery and restoration, warns that incompetent restoration work can lead to health risks and irreparable damage to building structures. They recommend using a reputable recovery agent that is experienced in dealing with home flooding and advise you to check their credentials, taking insurers recommendations first.

In all cases it's worth remembering that if you house has been flooded once, the sad fact is home flooding may happen again. It is therefore well worth considering using materials that are less vulnerable to damage. This may also include furnishings such as kitchen units, or other items that would be difficult to move away from flood waters.

• Environment Agency Floodline -flood protection advice
• Good Repair Guide 11 - repairing flood damage guide
• National Flood Forum - dedicated to reducing impact of flooding

House flooding repair can go on for months, sometimes years. See how Louise is getting on fixing her flooded house. Have you ever suffered home flooding? Tell us about it.