New report urges action on flooding preparedness in the UK

A new report from the British Red Cross has highlighted critical gaps in the UK’s preparedness and response to flooding, revealing its disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities and the urgent need for systemic change in risk planning.

With flooding becoming a growing challenge, the findings call on local authorities and resilience partners to integrate vulnerability data into every stage of flood management, from preparation to recovery.

Flood risk and emergency services

The report’s findings show the scale of the challenge, one in six adults report their home has been flooded in the past, with one in eleven experiencing flooding in the last five years. Yet, in England, fire and rescue services still lack a statutory duty to respond to flooding, a point of contention raised by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU). Ahead of this year’s general election, the FBU reiterated its call for the government to establish this duty into law, ensuring consistent and coordinated responses to flood emergencies.

This call aligns with concerns raised by fire chiefs earlier this year. As reported on Emergency Services Times, fire leaders have expressed support for making flooding a statutory duty – but only if adequate funding accompanies the change. Without this statutory duty, fire services face significant challenges in securing dedicated resources and training for flood response.

This gap leaves local resilience partnerships to shoulder much of the burden, often working with stretched budgets and varying levels of preparedness. The Red Cross report reinforces the urgency of addressing this policy shortfall as part of broader efforts to strengthen resilience.

Key findings:

The findings of the report ‘Vulnerability and Resilience: Public awareness and perceptions of flood risk in the UK’ indicate not only the scale of flooding across the whole of the UK, but also the need to strengthen resilience to flooding across all stages of emergency management, including flood preparedness, response and recovery:

• The scale of flooding: 1 in 6 say their home has been flooded in the past; with 1 in 11 in the last 5 years.
• Flooding and deprivation: 20% of those living in areas of highest deprivation – where insurance coverage is lower – reported experience of flooding. 
• Awareness: Only 1 in 6 adults are signed up to receive flood warnings while only half of those flooded in the last 5 years say they have seen information about flooding.
• Flood impact:  Of those who had been flooded, 40% reported moderate to severe mental health impacts, 35% reported moderate to severe physical health impacts and 42% reported moderate to severe impact to their finances, including costs related to repairs, relocation, or insurance. 
• Flood recovery: Almost half (46%) received practical support after experiencing a flood, including support evacuating or being given temporary accommodation, yet 1 in 4 found this support inadequate. Only 20% felt the support they received met their needs.  

Recommendations for emergency services

Among the report’s recommendations, the third stands out as directly relevant to emergency services:

“Partnering with voluntary and community service (VCS) organisations is an effective channel for both identifying and reaching vulnerable groups and communities with vital information on how to prepare, respond, and access resources to mitigate flood impact. They should be involved throughout resilience approaches and enabled to collaborate with statutory partners.”

This aligns with existing calls for closer coordination between emergency services, local authorities and voluntary groups, particularly during high-pressure events like flooding.

The report also advocates integrating mental health support into flood response plans, providing training for first responders, and developing partnerships with mental health organisations to deliver immediate and long-term care.

A national issue with local consequences

The report’s findings underscore the scale of the issue, while one in six people report past flooding, the impacts are often most severe in areas of high deprivation. For emergency services, this means balancing limited resources against the growing demands of flood response.

In many cases, statutory duties could provide the framework needed to ensure consistent, equitable responses across England, where the current approach varies significantly by region.

These findings underline the urgency of addressing inconsistencies in how communities are protected and supported during flood emergencies. The British Red Cross report highlights the need to align resources with responsibilities, a point echoed by many in the emergency services sector.

The recommendations also reflect ongoing efforts to improve collaboration between statutory and voluntary organisations. Robyn Knox, Director of the VCS Emergencies Partnership, recently spoke to Catherine Levin, Editor of Emergency Services Times about the vital role voluntary organisations play in resilience planning. She noted how the COVID-19 pandemic was a catalyst for building stronger partnerships between blue light services and the voluntary sector, demonstrating the potential for deeper collaboration. Read the full interview here.

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To read the full report, visit the British Red Cross website.