What life is really like for those affected by UK floods: new research reveals support gaps

A new study captures what life is really like for those rebuilding their lives after floods across the UK and how recovery systems could better meet their needs.

The Stories After The Storms report by UK disaster response charity, National Emergencies Trust and Lancaster University, calls for clearer information and guidance for flood survivors in the immediate aftermath of floods, and greater recognition of the hidden psychological toll that they can take.

Through an online survey and one-to-one interviews, the study explores the experiences of more than 100 people affected by flooding across the UK, and reveals:

• 61% of people impacted by floods had to leave their homes, with 37% living elsewhere for a sustained period and 5% never returning
• Nearly half (43%) of those impacted received no professional support with their practical or wellbeing needs
• 69% said their mental health was affected, but only 33% received support for this
• One in five (20%) reported their children’s mental health was affected
• Nearly two thirds (63%) said their finances were impacted, but almost half (48%) of total survey participants struggled to access financial help beyond insurance payments

Produced with the support of IKEA, the Stories After The Storms report examines the support people receive in the aftermath of floods to identify opportunities to improve this for future flood survivors.

It highlights the challenges those flooded people face in finding information - or accessing professional support. More than half of those who received professional support struggled to access this (59%). Just one in four (25%) felt this help was sensitive to disability, while a third felt it was sensitive to age.

The study suggests that family members (65%), friends (56%) and neighbours (56%) play a critical response role in the absence of formal support systems. In addition to practical help with managing flood waters, one in ten of those financially impacted received financial support from family or friends.

Just 10% of those who received financial support, outside of insurance payments, were able to access this within a week of being flooded, and 32% within the first month. It meant many faced large up-front bills to replace essentials, with flood survivors drawing down on pensions and savings, or resorting to credit cards, to manage these costs.

Nearly a third (31%) of those flooded reported never receiving any financial support at all outside of insurance payments.

The study also highlights the need for clearer information and guidance for flood survivors in the immediate aftermath, as well as greater acknowledgment of the often-overlooked psychological impacts of flooding.

Further recommendations include reducing the immediate financial burden by ensuring that emergency cash and short-term aid are available quickly, and closing the gaps that leave the most vulnerable - including elderly residents, disabled people and those on low incomes - struggling to access help or navigate complex processes.

Among those who helped design the study was Heather Shepherd, co-founder of Flooded People UK and a volunteer advisor to the National Emergencies Trust. Heather has experienced repeated flooding since 1998 and has had to learn how to cope, while caring for her severely disabled husband.

Heather Shepherd commented, “Many studies have outlined the impact of floods on people’s lives. Our research aims to build on this by shedding light on the support people like me receive when our lives are devastated by flooding, and how it can be improved. As someone ageing, who continually manages flooding alone alongside caring for a frail and severely disabled husband, I am eager to see how future support plans can better address everyone's needs.”

Dr Cath Hill, a lecturer at Lancaster University and one of the report’s authors, said: “From neighbours who can coordinate practical help with pets or lifts through to insurance firms whose specialists could signpost the wider support that’s available, the report highlights how everyone can play a positive part in flood response. We hope the stories shared can help to create new conversations with local and national government – and beyond.”

Mhairi Sharp, CEO of the National Emergencies Trust, said:

“When floods strike, the clock starts ticking for those affected, but too often the help they need doesn’t arrive fast enough. The National Emergencies Trust was founded to raise emergency funds in the minutes and hours after flooding so that people can get the vital support they need – whether that’s financial, practical or emotional. What this report shows is the wider roles that individuals and organisations can play in people’s recovery too; whether that’s a neighbour with a listening ear or a local business or council helping to signpost support services on offer.”

The project was made possible thanks to the support of IKEA, the Trust’s Corporate Patron. Their partnership funded and enabled the research team to gather stories from across the UK and identify the systemic changes needed to strengthen national resilience.

Hiliary Jenkins, Sustainability Business Partner, IKEA said: “The voices in this report are powerful and humbling. They remind us that recovery is not just about repairing homes, but rebuilding lives and they challenge all of us to do better, together.” Stories After The Storms draws on survivors’ suggestions to outline five ways that support for flood survivors could be made faster, fairer and more compassionate.

Five ways to improve support for UK flood survivors

1. Information IS support – survivors say having a local contact, clear checklist and proactive signposting would make a crucial difference
2. Financial shock is immediate, support must be too – quick access to emergency cash would help families cover essentials costs and reduce debt
3. Recovery must work for everyone – systems should be simplified, proactive, and designed with lived experience in mind to ensure no-one is left behind
4. Mental health is often overlooked - emotional care must be embedded in recovery from the outset
5. Communities are powerful but under-resourced – local action groups and informal networks need recognition and resources to sustain this resilience.

Download the Stories After The Storms report (PDF, 1.2MB) (opens in a new tab).