Introduction
We have built this submission by directly submitting the committee’s questions to our online network of flood survivors and recording their answers. In this way, committee members can hear directly from those with lived experience of flood response.
1. How prepared is the national response for flooding events that affect multiple critical infrastructure sectors at the same time, such as transport, food, water and energy?
Heather Shepherd – Pentre, Shropshire: “My experience in Cumbria showed that there was panic buying of essentials that could not be restocked as the lorrys/vans could not get into the area. When they were able to do so, those transporting perishables had to turn back as at that point they were unconsumable.”
2. How effective are current arrangements for coordinating responses across different sectors during major flood events?
Jo Addie – Haworth, West Yorkshire: “I’d say they are pretty ad hoc. It’s not really co-ordinated as such. For example one of the few community meetings we had following the second flood (2020 flood) included bodies such as EA, local authority, local friends of the river, parish council, Yorkshire Water. Though there were some very well meaning people there and some ideas that could help (YW offering capacity increases in reservoirs not currently operational if needed – not sure how this works?) it felt difficult to join the dots. For instance our Parish Council shows no interest (too difficult a nettle to grasp) and despite being told there is apparently a flood warden in the village I have no idea who they are.
Many bodies are just not resourced to deal with this kind of situation.
I come back to it time and time again, but effective means of communication with those who flood are lacking. Not the mildly useful (if you’ve not been through it before) have a plan, but how to keep action up and keep momentum in the days, months, years following the event.
3. What are the immediate impacts of flooding events on rural communities, farming businesses, livelihoods, and people’s wellbeing?
Mark CB – Pentre, Shropshire: “Before a flood (or sometimes not, if predictions and warnings turn out to be false), 3 days of moving sandbags, trestles & decking before lifting furniture and white goods; moving vehicles off site; preparing a temporary upstairs kitchen; ensuring batteries are charged; and readying my boat. No time for anything else so plans for other events deferred or cancelled. Exhaustion… while beginning to think about returning everything to where it really belongs and the clean-up…”
Jo Addie – Haworth, West Yorkshire: “From a wider perspective than just the individual householder, loss of amenities. Our first flood took out the village shop (the one that sells normal goods anyway – we’re a bit of a tourist area). That had a massive impact on the community in general. It also took out the local post office at the time. Loss of services was problematic for everyone, even those not flooded.
From a personal perspective, finding rental accommodation when supply is limited. We’ve moved around 8-10miles away each time just to find something right for us. That has advantages though as you’re not on top of your problem and can at least escape a little.”
Vicki Garratt – Monmouth, South Wales: “In our town, many businesses were closed down and still some are awaiting completion of building works and some business owners haven’t renewed their leases. The lower end of town has looked very sad this year. The GP surgery had to spread its services to 2 different bases.”
Lisa Wadley – Raglan, Monmouthshire: “The lack of warning is a big one, the main rivers all have warning but our doesn’t, also when we were flooded there was no flood warning or anything for our area so it caught us by surprise.
The lack of support for the local authority is infuriating. We pay our bills like everyone else yet when the towns flood e.g Monmouth everyone was out in force including the councillors and MP, we’ve struggled to even get acknowledged by them!
The dismissal of us only being “one property” affected as well means you are left to try and sort the situation yourself which a lot of the time you can’t because the issue isn’t on your property!
It’s all exhausting, time consuming and doesn’t help your mental health as we move into winter!”
Cee Martin – Great Glenn, Leicestershire: “A big impact for the whole village (apart from having your home flooded) was that it was cut off by roads being closed by flood water so people couldn’t easily get to work and had to navigate new routes, often only passable in a 4 wheel drive. So children couldn’t get to schools out of the village, or be taken to day-care provision, people couldn’t get to Drs, dentists, larger shops, or any out-of-the village facilities. Journeys that would normally have been measured in minutes took hours.”
Gareth Griffiths – Pandy, Monmouthshire: “Wellbeing biggest one for us. 3 young children being displaced from their home for 9 months at a time. When we eventually find accommodation to stay in, is it suitable, probably not close to their school or friends as limited choice in rural areas.
Also longer term impact with children worried to leave house if raining as concerned they may not be able to come home as there may be another flood, not things children should have to worry about.”
Heather – Shropshire: “I am a multiple flood survivor and live in a rural area that is cut off completely by flood water which can remain for 3 days. We are a fully resilient household with 80k+ of resilience installed and annual plans put in place,
Flooding in our home is made no easier by these interventions regarding the event and the recovery. All of the below is still a major challenge.
- Disability – This is a major, overlooked disadvantage. Planning for my husband’s disability needs during a flood is extremely difficult. He cannot remain at home, yet relatives’ homes lack suitable downstairs facilities, and his spinal condition and ongoing cancer treatment make unsuitable arrangements impossible. The local authority suggested respite care, but unpredictable flooding means a place is unlikely to be available. A caravan on nearby flood-free land would meet his needs, but surveys, planning permission and cost make that option unaffordable.
During the last flood, I could not move my husband before the water arrived and had to get him upstairs. He later fell down the stairs, cut his head and could not move. With normal access blocked, emergency services took an hour to plan his rescue; a fireboat then carried him through the floodwater to waiting fire engines and ambulances.
- Services – there is no access to prescriptions, essential sustenance, appointments, transport, council services, heating fuel etc. until the water level has receded all this has to be part of a household plan, however as we all are aware the best of plans do not always work as intended.
- Support – there is no support provided by anyone post flood. Just one in multiple flood occasions we had a visit from EA & LA both with their own agendas of collecting information on levels etc. all came from different departments that are not linked with flooding or social services. They were sympathetic but could offer nothing.
Grants come much later from central government if you are lucky! in all the multiple floods I have suffered I have had had just one.
- Welfare –
You can’t step away form a flood its full on, there is no support offered for stress, worry, exhaustion. The toil on body & mind is extreme and continues for months on end. There is no respite, no practical or monitory help.
- Community
Fractured community & disengaged Parish Council’s dont help resilience or after care.
4. How do public bodies, including Local Resilience Forums, ensure communities are able to access critical supplies, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach areas?
Mark CB – Pentre, Shropshire: “It’s the reason for which I have a boat, and why I fitted it with wheels so to be able to drag it across land & roads that haven’t been flooded, sometimes delivering shopping or other supplies; extracting people who need to get out and on rare occasions, leading the Fire & Rescue service to places they don’t know…”
What challenges, if any, do public bodies and local authorities face in meeting their responsibilities during flood emergencies under the current legislative framework such as the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and Flood and Water Management Act 2010?
5. What challenges, if any, do public bodies and local authorities face in meeting their responsibilities during flood emergencies under the current legislative framework such as the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and Flood and Water Management Act 2010?
Jo Addie – Haworth, West Yorkshire: “First flood – 2004, I had no idea who was responsible for helping at all. After the event at some point I met our (then, unfortunately now retired) amazing head of Drains and Drainage at the council. He was a great guy, actually cared. One evening when he thought we might be at risk he knocked on our door at 11pm with sandbags. Not requested, just because…
Otherwise it feels like an individual’s responsibility. You try to get hold of your insurers. Flood two (2020) happened on a Sunday morning. I couldn’t get hold of my insurers and their emergency line wouldn’t help, even though I have emergency cover. We even slept in the house that night because we had nowhere to go.
Those supposedly responsible for helping (local authority in this case) have even sent someone to prevent action in the past. That has been difficult to stomach. I don’t feel much trust in that respect anymore as a result.”
6. What resources are available at a local level for immediate recovery from a flood event and to what extent are they sufficient and delivered in a timely manner?
Jo Addie – Haworth, West Yorkshire: “We did have a stockpile of sandbags kept at the local heritage railway. They have been helpful in distributing these if needed.
For recovery though, not a lot. Council offered skips last time but it was a very short term offer (1-2days after event). Wholly unhelpful when you have to get your loss adjuster in first.
I’ve also in the past been threatened by the environmental health department when my fridge has been waiting collection following a flood. Very unwelcome.
Pockets of individuals who are or have been helpful but in general poor advice and a lack of support.”
Rachel Cross – Pontnewydd, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire: “Nothing where I live apart from contacting, emergency services if need help evacuating, or County Council to help with clear up if serious event. But otherwise nothing local.”
Gareth Griffiths – Pandy, Monmouthshire: “None. Council sometimes offer sand bags or sand to fill own bags. No use with extent of flooding we have.
Hired skips to load ourselves although did claim cost from insurance and they paid. Bought own pumps to get water out as quick as possible when water stops coming in”
Jennifer Kay Morgan, Monmouth, Monmouthshire: “When we were flooded and not that it would have made any difference, but Monmouthshire County Council refused residents who had been historically flooded sand bags as they deemed they weren’t needed.
In the aftermath a centre was set up to collect essentials i.e. mops buckets etc,little use when over a metre of black water has blasted through your home.
Town council through donations had a fund that businesses and residents could apply for, amounts awarded were on an individual basis. MCC on application awarded £1000 to the uninsured, £500 to the insured.”
Peter Martin – Great Glenn, Leicestershire: “Recovery? A councillor did turn up and tutted. That count?”
Frank Lomas – North Scarle, Lincolnshire: “Nothing! the County Council Highways did clear a heap of sand off the road that a local builder donated for sandbags/ to divert flood water away from some houses.”
Angie Burrow – Crosby on Eden, near Carlisle: “Nothing. The council will clear the road when the water has gone usually. Jehovahs witnesses offered mops one time. There was a suggestion of a village hub for cleaning supplies but the only suitable building that didn’t flood was the church and they refused to host it!
No skips were provided (although I think some were in city centre) but fees at tip were waived for white goods”
Mark Cuthbert Brown – Pentre, Shropshire: “We’ve had a skip delivered to our village pretty quickly after each of our recent floods – remaining in place for at least a week and often filled to capacity.”
Heather Shropshire – Petner, Shropshire: “NOTHING bar one skip for the whole village mostly to clear rubbish accumulated on the road, however this was not automatic, this is usually agreed on once an already over capacitated flooded person makes the request.”
7. Given that responsibility for flood response is shared across multiple national and local bodies, how effective is coordination during and immediately after a flood event?
Michael Andris – Leicester, Leicestershire: “Drawing directly from the evidence, documentation, and regulatory records in my case regarding Leicester City Council (LCC) and Severn Trent Water (STW), coordination during and immediately after a flood event is highly fragmented, reactive, and completely ineffective.
The primary systemic failures include:
- Siloed Responsibility and “Pass the Parcel”: Frontline response logs show that when an incident occurs, customer reports bounce back and forth between the water utility (STW) and the local authority/highway authority (LCC) without either taking primary ownership. Each agency routinely treats the symptom through its narrow operational lens (e.g., classifying it as a temporary gully blockage or private issue rather than hydraulic network surcharge), delaying immediate containment and relief.
- Absence of Shared Operational Situational Awareness: During active flood conditions, real-time data on sewer surcharges, highway gully intake capacity, and localized overland flows are not dynamically shared between bodies. Immediate response teams operate without visibility into the interconnected failure points of each other’s networks.
- Immediate Post-Event Inaction and Inertia: In the immediate aftermath, multi-agency coordination breaks down into procedural delays. Instead of coordinated post-incident recovery, rapid joint inspections, and interim property-level protections, agencies retreat into administrative boundaries—spending months debating asset ownership, pre-existing topography, and legal remit rather than implementing urgent remedial measures.
- Failure to Leverage Statutory Information Powers: Even where Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs) possess the statutory tools under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 (such as Section 14 information notices or Section 19 investigation mandates) to enforce data-sharing and joint action, these powers are rarely mobilized proactively post-event, leaving affected residents without a unified or decisive response.”
Jo Addie – Haworth, West Yorkshire: “Immediately after (clean up), ok. After that dreadful. No communication at all. We lost our flood resilience money last time due to no communication from our local authority.”
Jennifer Kay Morgan, Monmouth, Monmouthshire: “Minimal communication followed the flood. Zero communication from December from our local town and county council following storm Claudia in November last year. Many of us are still in temporary accommodation.
Over 300 residential properties were affected and innumerable businesses.
It doesn’t embody confidence in what the future may bring.”
Rachel Cross – Pontnewydd, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire: “For us we have the situation of a river flooding that is the responsibility of NRW (Wales) and a small stream (riparian) but bridges that block (County Council). We do what we can with the stream but issues with the river involve NRW, County Council with bridge and Railway for some of the land – never the twain shall meet as they say. With regard for the bridge issue on the stream the council recently installed a bigger box culvert which we’re keeping fingers crossed “
Peter Martin – Great Glenn, Leicestershire: “Sadly, the more involved, the more able to shuffle responsibility. What was unsurprising was what could not happen addressed within seconds but what could disappeared into a labyrinth.”
Liz Dore – Wiltshire: “Co-ordination was non-existent during the flood situation. Local (town) council were not very helpful during or after the flood, despite attempts to engage with them and offer of a draft emergency plan. They no longer have a flood warden. I have little confidence that they will help in the future.
Wiltshire Council was more helpful with the Government PFR grant which they held for me while I obtained quotes and listed building approval. They also organised flood resilience surveys which I couldn’t find anyone local to provide.
Environment Agency promised to look into the situation but I never heard back from them.
Local Rotary club were also helpful, providing visits, support and flood protection equipment.
Overall support was patchy with no clear responsibility or point of contact. We tried to find someone to close the (flooded) road but no-one would take responsibility for this despite the clear health and safety risk.”
Heather – Pentre, Shropshire: “It is impossible to tell as there is no communication going on.”