No doubt fiscal policies put this (and other) councils on the back foot, but it’s reductive to ignore that the thing that tipped them over the edge was bureaucratic incompetence combined with being fucked by the Oracle Corporation.
https://www.theregister.com/2023/09/05/birmingham_city_council_oracle/
You could get “smart flood detectors” cheap on amazon that use smart life. They make a sound (not the loudest tbf) and trigger notifications on your phone via the app.
Maybe not the greatest for privacy but might start the trail…