Resilience through flood memory– a comparison of the role of insurance and experience in flood resilience for households and businesses in England

Abstract

Resilience to flooding is influenced by adaptations or behavior that address risk reduction at all stages of the disaster cycle. This includes: physical adaptation of buildings to limit damage; individual preparedness and business continuity planning; and provision of resources for reinstatement through insurance or recovery grants. In the UK implementation of such strategies lie mainly with private property owner and their private insurer while government policy promotes greater uptake by these actors as part of an integrated strategy. In the context of increased flood events the provision of affordable insurance has been increasingly challenging and in 2016 a new insurance arrangement (Flood Re) was put in place to support transition to affordable market based insurance. However, Flood Re is specific to residential property and excludes many categories of property previously guaranteed coverage including small businesses. The research used a survey of frequently flooded locations in England to explore the different experiences and behaviors of households and businesses at risk from flooding with respect to insurance and recovery in this evolving scenario. The results show distinct differences between households and businesses that could point to greater opportunities for enhancing resilience if policy and practice recognized those differences.