Britain's Evaporating Flood Insurance
Flooding from the River Idle near Retford on Oct. 7, 2024.
Photographer: Tom Jamieson
This week marks the one-year anniversary of a grim weather event for many Britons. Last October Storm Babet brought the third wettest three-day period in a series for England and Wales since 1891, flooding thousands of homes.
Today’s story looks at how a first-of-its-kind insurance program bought time to shore up the UK’s flood defenses. Yet exclusive data shows that isn’t happening quickly enough.