Vulnerability and Resilience: Public awareness and perceptions of flood risk in the UK

Assessing understanding of flood risk and preparedness following the devastating winter of 2023/24

Our report Vulnerability and Resilience, explores public perceptions of flood risk, the impact of flooding, and the support available to prepare, adapt and respond. 

Building on the findings of Every Time it Rains, published in December 2022, this research revisits UK-wide polling that previously revealed alarmingly low levels of awareness about flood risk and knowledge of how to prepare for and respond to flooding, particularly in areas with high social vulnerability to flooding. 

The devastating flood damage caused by successive storms in the winter of 2023/24, including Babet, Ciaran, and Henk, underscored the need to revisit that polling.

Vulnerability and Resilience draws on the perspectives of over 3,300 people from across all four nations of the UK, offering a deeper exploration of attitudes towards home adaptation, flood warnings, and the availability of support. The report also provides updated recommendations for strengthening the UK’s resilience to flooding. 

CER team responding to the devastation left by Storm Bert

BRC volunteers responding to Storm Bert in Pontypridd, Wales November 2024

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Arrow icon How to prepare for floods and flooding in the UK

Arrow icon British Red Cross flooding toolkit

Key findings 

The findings 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.  

Key Recommendations

  1. We urge local authorities, alongside local resilience partners, to incorporate the use of vulnerability data into planning efforts, resource allocation for flood adaptation, emergency response, and recovery. We urge environmental regulator agencies to champion this approach with local partners.
  2. National governments must ensure that regulations mandate new buildings to be equipped with flood protection measures that are commensurate with their specific flood risk. This may require improvements to planning regulations in some parts of the UK, as well as ensuring that local government planning departments have the resources and skills to apply them.
  3. 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.
  4. Mental health support must be integrated into flood response plans, with training for first responders and local authorities, and partnerships with mental health organisations to provide both immediate and long-term support.
  5. Governments and local authorities should consider how to support the roll out of community education for flood resilience, utilising resources such as the British Red Cross toolkit and Communities Prepared Flood Hub and working with VCS partners to extend reach.

For more information, contact advocacy@redcross.org.uk