A new report from flood forecasting firm Previsico, based on insights from more than 70 UK organisational leaders, has found a sharp decline in flood preparedness despite rising awareness of risk.
Just 8% of respondents said they or all of their clients have flood action plans covering all locations, down from 30% in 2025, even though 72% expect to be personally affected by flooding in future.
This development comes as part of the firm’s State of Flood Resilience Report, produced using data collected through surveys and webinars with Airmic and InsTech.
Previsico noted that it highlights a “deepening paradox” where awareness of flood risk is increasing, but preparedness has fallen sharply, leaving businesses, insurers, and asset holders dangerously exposed.
“With weather-related insurance claims reaching £1.2 billion in 2025 – a 14% increase on the previous year – and annual flood losses projected to increase five-fold by 2050, the urgency to act has never been greater. Yet the data tells a troubling story,” the firm said.
Previsico continued, “This year’s report reveals a shift in awareness: more organisations (47.73%, vs 43% in 2025) now have first-hand experience of the realities of flooding, and there is a strong majority who recognise the future risk.
“But with fewer than 1 in 10 organisations reporting that they have a flood response plan (vs 30% in 2025), and over 81% of respondents reporting feeling overwhelmed on a regular basis, there is an obvious systemic gap in planning, communication and operational readiness.”
According to the firm’s report, competition for funding and resources also remains high, with over half of respondents citing these as major barriers to investment.
“And alarmingly, 20.93% of respondents noted that uncertainty around future flood risk made investment a challenge, suggesting that further education and increased availability of tailored data are necessary to help organisations to understand potential risk,” Previsico added.
Jonathan Jackson, CEO of Previsico, commented, “Advances in modelling, improved surface-water mapping, and updated climate projections now classify roughly two-thirds of England as ‘floodable’ under certain conditions, a scale of exposure that far exceeds traditional assumptions. Yet many organisations continue to underestimate their exposure to flood risk, despite increasingly robust data that tells a very different story.
“The risk and insurance sector needs to treat flood with the same seriousness long applied to fire. Closing that gap will require insurers and risk advisors to set clearer expectations and embed stronger resilience practices so that flood becomes a managed risk, not an escalating vulnerability.”
