The Benefits of Flood Warnings: Real But Elusive, and Politically Significant

Abstract Flood‐warning systems need to be seen as providing (a) forecasts of floods, (b) warnings to those at risk, and (c) in‐between arrangements for disseminating warning messages to those who need the information as a basis for their response. This ‘whole‐system’approach reveals that warning dissemination and public response are weak links in the communication chain, and that the public remains dissatisfied with the service which should be seamless and reflect an integrated approach. Research on several aspects of this system reveals significant and continuing problems of low performance, leading to the question as to whether the present institutional arrangements in the UK for flood warning are satisfactory.