Our previous article ‘Flood Disadvantage Time for a Change’ addressed the social vulnerability of individuals and communities effects their ability to respond to flood events. Building on flood response, this article aims to examine how social vulnerability can impact a person’s ability to prepare for flooding.
An estimated 6.9 million homes across the UK are at risk of flooding and as the frequency and intensity of flood events across the country increases with climate change, the hard truth that flooding does not affect everyone equally is becoming all the more clear. Flooding disproportionately affects people who are socio-economically disadvantaged.
Research shows that often those who are most impacted by the effects of flooding are the least able to prepare and access support in the event of a flood.
Unaware to Prepare
Are the systems in place failing those who need them the most?
Water’s Edge, a research article by the British Red Cross, found that many of those living in disadvantaged areas impacted by flooding were often unaware that they even lived in areas at risk of flooding. Flood preparation guidance and flood alerts were often rendered ineffective as people were not aware that such resources exist.
During the event of a flood people were unclear about the evacuation support that was available to them resulting in many people evacuating themselves or relying on friends and family. Emergency shelters provided in some flood events were inadequate, hard to access and not widely broadcast leaving people unaware of shelter or in stressful situations even after escaping the flood.
Out of the Storm?
Effects are often felt for a long time after a flood, with disadvantaged areas often feeling the effects for the longest.
The financial impact of flooding is often life-changing, especially for people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. Local authorities provide flood recovery grants to support people financially after flooding; however, these grants tend to be confusing, not clearly available, or insufficient. This leads to people feeling disappointed by their local authorities and that the support available is often too little too late.
When housing is damaged during flooding, often times accommodation provided by local authorities leaves a lot to be desired. People are told they will be provided with housing equivalent to where they lived before the flood but have experienced being placed in unsuitable and inconvenient housing, generally feeling their living conditions are worse than where they lived before the flood.
What needs to change?
Flood messaging for local communities needs to be improved.
- Improve local preparedness messaging, for example, through talks at schools or community groups to reach high-risk communities effectively.
- Share local emergency and evacuation plans with communities in clear and accessible language to make sure they are well understood.
Target flood resilience funding to areas most in need.
- Ensure that funding for flood resilience for areas least able to cope with the impacts of flooding takes priority.
- Target campaigns about flood risk and preparedness to area with high levels of deprivation and flood risk.
Make grants more accessible.
- More open communication about what grants are available for local authorities to avoid those most vulnerable not accessing the support they need.
- Simplify the application process with in-person support being available for those with language barriers or additional needs.
- Grants should be delivered in a timely manner with eligibility categories broadened in order to include a wider range of people who need support.
More Protections for Renters and Social Housing
- Social housing needs to be protected against flooding; this can be done through government collaboration to ensure accessible funding to retrofit Property Flood Resilience (PFR) and other property measures are readily available.
- For private renters’ government departments responsible for PFR and housing should implement wider initiatives to improve flood defense schemes such as PFR and Sustainable Drainage (SuDS). This could be done through making PFR more affordable through subsidy schemes and through increasing the public awareness of affordable self-installation PFR measures.
What can be done to prepare?
- Check if you live in an area at risk of flooding and understand the government alert systems. If you do live in an area at risk of flooding, tell your neighbours, especially if they are elderly or vulnerable.
- Make a plan to evacuate family and pets and prepare an emergency kit in the event of an immediate evacuation.
- Check your home insurance policy to ensure it covers flood damage inside the home.
- In the event of a flood warning make sure all doors and windows are locked, while still maintaining an easily accessible escape route.
- Move sentimental items and documents upstairs if possible and move vehicles to higher ground.
Guidance found in the British Red Cross ‘How to prepare for flooding’ article.
The last word
The government and local authorities have a responsibility to their most vulnerable citizens to improve the current systems set in place, to help people prepare for and cope with the effects of flooding.
- Accessibility to information about flood preparation and risk needs to be made more easily available to disadvantaged communities.
- Grants need to be laid out in clear and accessible language and to be more nuanced to include a wider range of people who need support.
- Flood resilience needs to be more targeted towards areas of socio-economic disadvantage as these are the communities that need the support the most.
However, change is on the horizon. A government press release published in October 2025, aims to invest £10.5 billion into flood defences and ensure deprived communities receive protection faster through an overhaul of the funding application process.
These measures are set to be implemented in the April 2026 flood programme and are a step in the right direction for providing flood resilience to the most vulnerable communities in the UK.