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With flood warnings still in place across south-west England and Wales on Monday, followed by another fortnight of wet weather forecasts, the sodden ground across swathes of the UK is not likely to dry up any time soon. Reports that Aberdonians have not seen so much as a sliver of sun since 21 January prompted an outburst of stoicism on BBC radio, with one resident commenting: “You have to get on with it, brighter days are coming”.
Before then, however, north-east Scotland is braced for more heavy rain. For farmers and businesses in the affected areas, the impact goes far beyond inconvenience. Marketing consultant Sam Kirby told the Guardian that she had to work from a car park in Cornwall following Storm Goretti, because her broadband wasn’t working. And Goretti was the first of three January storms.
In Somerset, where more than 600 homes were flooded in 2014, emergency pumps have been added to the permanent ones stationed at Northmoor, in an attempt to keep water at bay. But some spoke of “a losing battle” in the face of escalating risk due to climate change. Cereal and vegetable growers are waiting for waters to recede before assessing crop damage.
Following other recent extreme weather, the Environment Agency is embarking on a review of its flood management strategy for England (responsibility for similar schemes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is devolved). In a letter to the environmental audit committee of MPs, the environment secretary, Emma Reynolds, said that efforts at “strengthening workforce competence across the flood sector” would help English councils to cope, while a revised planning framework would take flood risks into account. But years of cuts to Environment Agency budgets, combined with confusion over its purpose, mean that confidence in its capacity to lead on climate resilience efforts, including flood prevention, is far from assured. While relief workers have been praised by local people who are grateful for their efforts, the overall approach is criticised for being reactive rather than proactive.
There has been no recent flooding event in the UK to match the disaster that unfolded in eastern Spain in 2024, when 229 people were killed, and where the region’s president was forced to resign over the botched response. But with experts warning that torrential winter rains are arriving 20 years earlier than climate models predicted, due to a combination of warmer air – which holds more moisture – and an unstable jet stream causing weather systems to become stuck, the need for investment and clear communication around the growing threat is clear.
The danger is that as extreme rain becomes more frequent, and people get used to drivers being rescued from stranded vehicles or pensioners from flooded homes, these events are seen as less rather than more alarming. Climate researchers have warned that the “boiling frog” effect can make gradual change difficult to address. But with 6.3m properties in England at risk, rising to 8m by 2050, ministers need to focus on climate adaptation, including drainage – and keep doing so long after the latest floods have receded.
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