Lessons in Fire & Flood Resilience and Preparedness

What Lessons Can Be Shared Between Fire and Flood Disasters?

While fires and floods are different threats, the overarching principles of risk management, insurance preparedness, and resilience are relevant for property owners in North West England, as they contend with growing flood risks due to climate change.

Risk Awareness and Proactive Mitigation

California wildfires underscore the importance of understanding local risks and taking proactive measures. For property owners in the North West, the rise in extreme weather events underscores the need to accept flooding as a recurring reality:

• Understand Flood Zones: Just as Californians assess wildfire risk, Lancashire homeowners should determine if their properties are in flood-prone areas using tools like the Environment Agency's flood map.

• Take Mitigation Steps: Similar to creating defensible spaces for wildfire protection, property owners in the North West can improve flood-resistant measures, such as flood embankments and bunds, update drainage systems, and construct flood barriers in vulnerable areas. They can also invest in raised electrical outlets, house flood barriers, and water-resistant building materials.

Comprehensive Insurance Coverage

Wildfires and flood events highlight how critical adequate insurance coverage is for recovery, and victims often discover gaps in their insurance policies post-disaster. Many people either lack insurance or underestimate the coverage they need.

• Understand your Policy: We’ve said it before, and we’ll keep saying it! Policies vary in coverage; flood damage protection may not always be standard, especially in previously flooded areas around Bolton, Ormskirk and Wigan. Greater Manchester homeowners should review their policies regularly to ensure they have adequate cover for both building and contents.
• Understand Replacement Costs: Wildfire victims sometimes find insurance payouts insufficient to rebuild. North West England homeowners should ensure their policy covers the full cost of rebuilding, including increased costs due to changes in buildings regulations or materials costs.
• Look Beyond Standard Policies: For high-risk areas, consider specialised insurance products, such as the Flood Re Scheme in the UK designed to make flood insurance more accessible.

Be Prepared for an Insurance Claim

• California fires reveal the importance of maintaining accurate records for property insurance claims, and UK property owners can apply this lesson by:

• Keeping an updated Asset list: Maintain an up-to-date inventory of possessions, complete with photographs, receipts, and approximate values.
• Digital Backup: Keep insurance policies and important documents stored digitally to ensure they’re accessible.

Climate Change Demands Long-Term Planning

• The increase in “once-in-a-hundred-year" events proves that climate change is amplifying risks. In California, insurers have pulled out of high-risk areas or dramatically increased premiums – which we have seen in some areas of the UK, with regards to flooding. UK lessons include:
• Future-Proof Your Insurance: As extreme weather events become more common, ensuring your policy evolves with changing risks is crucial.
• Advocate for Policy Changes: Encourage the government and industry to develop innovative insurance solutions, such as subsidies for at-risk properties or affordable pooled-risk schemes, or even insurance discounts for properties equipped with flood-resistant features, similar to California homes with fireproofing measures.

Emotional and Financial Preparation

• Beyond financial losses, natural disasters like wildfires and floods take an emotional toll. North West property owners can prepare for flooding disasters by:
• Creating a Recovery Plan: Have a clear plan for evacuation, safety, and post-disaster steps, including insurance claims and rebuilding.
• Accessing Support Resources: Be aware of government programmes or charities that can help post-disaster.

Lessons For the Authorities

• Inevitably ‘the authorities’ often come under fire, in national emergencies such as the New Year Floods in Greater Manchester and the Californian fires. A few things we’d like to see improve are:

Government Awareness Campaigns

• To encourage uptake of insurance, governments and insurers should promote more affordable and accessible flood insurance options, as seen in the UK's Flood Re Scheme. 
• To help property owners understand the financial risks of going uninsured in high-risk areas.

Build Resilient Communities

• Homes and infrastructure in flood zones should be stopped!
• If this is not possible, they should at the very least be constructed or retrofitted to endure extensive water exposure.

Promote Green Solutions

• Planting vegetation, restoring natural watercourses, and reducing urban impermeability to slow floodwaters.

The Importance of Rapid Response Cannot be Highlighted Enough:

• After flooding, swift action reduces financial and emotional tolls for the victims.
• Local communities should be prepared for emergencies and maintain flood kits and evacuation plans.
• Insurers should streamline claims through digital tools and trained adjusters, helping victims recover faster with efficient claims processes.

Hope Beyond the Challenges

While the prognosis involves more frequent and severe flooding, humans have shown remarkable capacity for adaptation. Through innovative infrastructure, smarter insurance solutions, and collective action on climate change, the worst outcomes can be mitigated.

The lesson isn’t to despair but to prepare – better awareness, systems and policies can transform flooding from a catastrophe into a manageable challenge. 

Need Help with a Property Insurance Claim After Flooding?

Our expert team, serving Bolton, Ormskirk, Wigan, and Greater Manchester, are here to help you get back on your feet.

Get in touch with us via our 24/7 helpline by calling 01254 665 333 today.