Insurance has helped thousands whose homes have been devastated by flooding - Andy Bord

And once you’re in, you spend considerable time, energy and money making that house into a home. You fill it with your things, you decorate, you build. It becomes so much more than four walls and a roof.

That is why flooding can be so devastating. Flooding doesn’t just cause physical damage to a home; it has a huge emotional impact on individuals, families and whole communities.

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Sadly, as a result of climate change, more people and properties in the UK are going to be at risk of flooding in future. One prediction suggests that the number of properties affected by flooding is going to double in the next 30 years, reaching nearly two million homes by 2050.

Stricken communities across Yorkshire are still counting the cost after being hit by Storms Ciara and Dennis in quick succession. That is why The Yorkshire Post’s 10-point blueprint issued this month on behalf of the 5.4 million people who live in county is so important and urgent.

It is also why I want to explain about Flood Re, why is was created and how it works. Before 2016, homeowners who suffered flood damage could struggle to get insurance on their property due to its level of ‘risk’ and if they could buy insurance, their premiums and excesses could sometimes go through the roof.

Flood Re was formed by the insurance industry and Government with the purpose of making flood insurance for households more available and affordable.

Since its launch Flood Re has had a significant impact. Nearly all householders whose property has flooded before are now able to get insurance quotes from five or more insurers – none were able to do this before we launched. This increased competition means that four out of five people with previous claims have been able to find quotes that are less than half the price when compared to prices pre-2016.

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In under four years, the scheme has helped more than a quarter of a million households across the country, and currently 23,000 of those homes are in Yorkshire.

You should still buy your insurance from insurers that you know and we sit behind the scenes to help to ensure that you have a choice of affordable options.

The way this works is that we collect a levy from all UK insurers who write home insurance and then this central pool is used to cover the flood risk element in the most at risk homes.

Ultimately, the decision to pass a policy to Flood Re lies with the individual insurer but thanks to the scheme’s existence, if you shop around you should be able to find a competitive quote for the right cover for your home.

I appreciate that some householders may have been turned off or discouraged previously by being quoted tens of thousands of pounds before 2016.

However, the insurance market has changed since the scheme has launched. So, speak to insurers, brokers and look on price comparison websites. We are working hard to make sure that you can protect your property at a more affordable price.

When Flood Re was formed there were a number of conversations between Government, insurers and householders about what types of properties we would protect.

We all agreed it was important that new houses weren’t built in areas we know are at risk of flooding. This would only be making matters worse and guaranteeing more misery for more people from flooding in the future. Therefore, Parliament decided that Flood Re would only protect properties built before 2009.

It was also decided that Flood Re would focus solely on residential properties and not include businesses, because it would be unfair for ordinary householders to be in effect subsidising commercial companies.

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We are proud of what we have been able to achieve in less than four years, but we hope to help more and more people to find affordable insurance going forward. Whatever your circumstances – even if you have been flooded recently or are risk of flooding – the right cover should be available at a more affordable price.

Andy Bord is chief executive officer of Flood Re, a levy and pool system agreed by insurers and Government