Newsletter #9 (October 2025)
- sachetkk1
- Dec 18, 2025
- 6 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
From: Katia Sanhueza-Pino
Dear all,
For several years, across England and Wales, I have witnessed firsthand the struggles of flooded communities. Time and again, people tell me they feel unheard, misunderstood, and unsupported. Tangible commitments to prevent flooding and protect lives are too slow in coming.
Whether we call it climate change adaptation or sustainable investment in new and existing infrastructure, both are desperately needed. The level of “resilience” expected from flooded and at-risk communities is beyond acceptable. No one should have to live in fear of flooding.
That’s why I am deeply honoured to be joining Flooded People UK, an organisation dedicated to amplifying the voices of flooded communities, creating a network of mutual support, and driving meaningful change.
My roots are in Germany, Chile, and Spain, and I have also lived in New Zealand. I have a background in geology, hazards and disaster management. There is a Māori proverb:
“He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata!”
“What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.”
These words capture what drives me: the belief that people must always come before policy or profit.
The increasing risk of flooding as the climate crisis unfolds is both a matter of investing in infrastructure, as well as considering the human element and the impact on people’s lives. We need to strengthen our communities, and to maintain the connections that sustain us by understanding and valuing individuals regardless of background.
Over the past eight years, I have worked alongside countless flooded people and flood action groups, and their courage continues to inspire me. Their determination to advocate for local change to reduce and ultimately stop their flooding is extraordinary, but it should not be their responsibility nor a necessity. Living in constant vigilance against flooding cannot be our “new normal.”
I am profoundly grateful to everyone who has opened their homes and hearts to share their experiences with me. Every story fuels my commitment to ensuring that flooded people receive the help, support, and justice they deserve.
That is why joining Flooded People UK feels so meaningful. Together, we will strengthen community voices, build supportive networks, and advocate for systemic change that truly protects people.
My thanks go to our funders, partners, and communities who make this work possible. Together, we will continue to push for:
Flooded people’s voices to shape policy priorities in the UK
Connect communities to tackle flood-related issues
Accountability and action from policymakers and agencies
Katia
Community notes |
Where we tell you about all the exciting conversations and interactions between flooded people online and with our staff that happened this month, as well as general campaign gossip.
AN AI MEME CONTEST?
Louis: I’ve been experimenting with AI, and it created a monster. Basically I asked AI to change the famous “this is fine” dog meme into a version where the house is flooded and asked the online community to caption it. Congratulations to Geoff Patmore (Sussex) for his winning entry.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT ON HARD DATES:
This month marked the two-year anniversary of flooding in Sandiacre, and the heroic Kathryn shared her moving story. Vanessa, recently joined, also shared her devastating experience. I am so grateful to all the people who swarmed in to respond with care and empathy, rooted in the shared experience.
GATHERING IS SOON AND WE ARE EXCITED!
Right, we’ve got about 20 people signed up but there is room for another 10-20. We can cover your travel and maybe even accommodation so please do sign up! If we want to have a national voice and speak in a united way that bridges our geographical, political, age, everything divides, then frankly it’s just vital that we spend time in each other’s company and, ideally, even enjoy it!
Louis: I want to get a pint with all of you. You know who you are.
Signup link (Flooded People only): https://admin.actionnetwork.org/events/first-national-gathering-of-flooded-people/manage
WELCOMING OUR WELSH FRIENDS:
Harry: Before this year, I’ll admit I had never been to South Wales. One of the nicest parts of this work has been getting to know this area and particularly the people in it. Last week, I saw the amazing folks of the Prepare and Protect Flood Action Group in the Taff vale. Facing severe floods in 2020 and 2024, they are working together to take action. Shoutout particularly to Sharon Elward, who helped organise the meeting. We are meeting more and more Welsh flooded groups, from Bridgend to Cardiff, and I can’t wait to see them develop and win the defences they need. I suspect I am going to be returning to Wales often!
NEW BANNER JUST DROPPED
Harry: On Saturday the 25th, I trundled out of London to join the Witney Flood Group for the annual Witney Waterways Fair. This was a great day, where anyone concerned or interested in the rivers locally, whether around flooding or around pollution, could come meet different groups. It was a testament to the work that the Witney Flood Group do - especially in encouraging West Oxfordshire District Council to hold the fair. It gave us a great reason to show our new banner and we got to speak to many flooded people from the surrounding area.
Flooded People at the theatre: a review by Heather
Heather: Having been kindly invited to see a play about flooding, with enthusiasm I trundled up to Doncaster with Harry & Sanjay in tow. The focus was on the devastating flood of Fishlake, and the opening scene was of village life going about its business as normal while a storm is brewing. It continues as people begin to realise that flooding is inevitable and intertwines the lives of individuals going through circumstances that add to the trauma of the flood. It ends with the immediate aftermath where the lives of the Fishlake community were inundated with strangers.
I found the play portrayed many of the issues that so many communities face and brings to the fore that many of us are dealing with personal challenges in our lives before we flood. This was a first flood for the area, so it showed the disbelief and denial, the shock when it does and the disbelief and confusion of what happens next.
As many know, I have been beside so many people in the immediate aftermath of a flood and journey of recovery, as well as suffering multiple floods myself, so you would think I would be fairly hardened to the emotions it brings, but I found myself fighting back the tears several times. The humour was there too, Jez, the playwright,had the great ability to weave together humour and pathos which allowed the story to resonate with the audience on multiple levels.
It left me feeling aggrieved that people are forced to live under the threat of flooding, with insufficient action taken to prevent it from happening again. Emphasising personal resilience shifts responsibility away from systemic solutions, when governments should be addressing climate change and investing heavily in sustainable flood risk management for everyone, immediately, rather than expecting individuals to cope on their own.
We met Jez before and after the play, a humble chap having suffered flooding himself which meant that the play was guaranteed to be an honest and accurate account of real-life experiences.
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