A flood in York can begin with an ocean thousands of miles away.
This is the strange reach of El Niño: a shift in the tropical Pacific Ocean that can alter rainfall and temperature patterns across the world. In 2026, the signal is unusually strong. The World Meteorological Organisation says the developing ‘supersized’ El Niño could become one of the strongest on record, with its effects expected to continue into 2027.
However, El Niño does not simply mean “more floods”. In one region, it can bring destructive rain; in another, drought. The outcome depends on where you are, when the event develops and what other weather patterns are at work. This matters because flooding is rarely caused by one factor alone.
Rainfall is part of the story. So are rivers, drainage, development, saturated ground and the condition of the property when the water arrives.
Floods may have a variety of causes, but the same pattern of processes often occurs after the event. A business cannot open. Emergency services are dealing with immediate safety. An insurer needs information. A blue light responder needs access. Ultimately, someone needs to decide what happens next.
DIVE RIGHT IN
Sign up to our newsletter
The British Damage Management Association (BDMA), in partnership with the Chartered Insurance Institutes of Hull and York, are pleased to present ‘Flooding: The Emergency Response’, a one-day free seminar and networking event taking place at the Novotel York on 10 November 2026. The event will bring together representatives from Local Resilience Forums, emergency planners, blue light services, first-phase claims professionals and damage management responders.
Last year, more than 100 delegates attended the precursor event ‘Flooding: The Road to Resilience’. This year, the conversation moves from resilience to the response itself: the first hours and days when decisions have consequences for the people waiting in flood-affected properties and premises.
The next flood to affect the UK may have its origins thousands of miles away, but we must be prepared for the response that will happen here.
Join us in York on 10 November.
Find out more at the link here: https://bdma.org.uk/flooding-the-emergency-response/