Responsible Organisations & Communication Channels

If you need to be evacuated because of severe flooding or damage, contact the Police or other Emergency Services by dialling 999.

Emergency Services

Depending on the type and severity of flooding, the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service, Police, the NHS and HM Coastguard may have involvement in emergency response.

Police Scotland co-ordinate the overall response activities of other agencies, should a Major Incident be declared. The are also responsible for the co-ordination of evacuation and public information as well as site security, protection from sightseers, media intrusion and criminal elements.

The Scottish Fire & Rescue service have duty to save lives in the event of serious flooding. This means rescuing people trapped, or likely to become trapped, by water; and protecting them from serious harm. Additionally, the fire brigade should assist the police and ambulance services with handling of casualties.

The Scottish Ambulance Service provides the first NHS response at the scene of an incident. Immediate care for the injured and their evacuation to hospital are its tasks together with the mobilisation of additional NHS resources should they be required at the scene.

Orkney Islands Council

The duties of Local Authorities relating to flooding are outlined in the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009.

Orkney Islands Council’s response during a major severe weather incident is focused on direct support to the emergency services and the most vulnerable members of the community identified by health and care services and partner agencies.

Watercourses and culvert screens are inspected and cleared on a schedule or when conditions dictate. Sandbags are sometimes provided to flood risk areas when there is a high risk of flooding but this cannot always be guaranteed. Operatives maintain and also deploy flood defences when there is a high risk of flooding - for more information follow this link.

Working hours contact phone number: 01856 873535

Out of hours emergency phone number: 01856 876338

Note that during a flooding emergency, phone lines are likely to be extremely busy – please only phone if you really need to.

Check for updates on the Council’s Facebook page or OIC Roads’ twitter feed for information on flood preparations and disruptions:

• Facebook: @OICUpdates
• Twitter (X): @OIC_Roads
• Telegram:@OIC_Roads

Note you do not need to be a Twitter (X) or Facebook user to access these pages online.

SEPA and Floodline

SEPA is Scotland’s national flood forecasting, flood warning and strategic flood risk management authority. SEPA has a statutory duty under the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 to produce Scotland's Flood Risk Management Strategies. They work closely with other organisations responsible for managing flood risk through a network of partnerships and stakeholder groups to ensure that a nationally consistent approach to flood risk management is adopted.

SEPA monitor weather and sea conditions in order to predict flooding and issue warnings via Floodline. Floodline is a 24-hour information service operated by SEPA. Users signed up to the service receive up to date information about Flood Alerts that are in force in Scotland as they arise. Users can choose to either have recorded voice messages or text messages (or both) relayed to up to 6 possible registered numbers including landlines. You can sign up over the phone or online:

Phone number: 0345 988 1188

Website: Floodline Scotland

For more information about the causes of flooding and how to prepare for a flood event, visit the SEPA Floodline website.

Scottish Water

Scottish Water are defined as a responsible authority under the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009. Their duties include understanding the risk of flooding fro the sewer network and working with partners to understand the interaction of river, surface water and sewer networks in some of the most complex catchments in Scotland.

Scottish Water manage the public water and wastewater networks. They also have a duty as a water authority to take all necessary steps to protect public health. If there are concerns with water supply during or following a flood, contact Scottish Water. See the 'After a flood' section on the main page for more information.

Customer Service phone number: 0845 601 8855

Emergency Information phone number: 0845 600 8855

Website: scottishwater.co.uk