Experts issue urgent warning about alarming side effect of extreme flooding: 'Very apocalyptic'
Simon Sage
Tue, February 3, 2026 at 5:45 AM UTC
2 min read
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Key takeaways
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- Storm Chandra causes devastating floods in southern England, impacting local ecosystems and wildlife.
- Rising sea levels and atmospheric pollution contribute to the increasing intensity of storms in the U.K., leading to potential housing crises and insurance rate hikes.
- Beaver repopulation efforts in the U.K. are helping to rebuild wetlands and provide natural flood protection, but additional measures like soil health improvement and tree planting are needed to address flooding issues.
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Floods have ravaged the U.K., and they're bad news for local ecosystems, according to the Guardian.
What's happening?
Storm Chandra has wreaked havoc along southern England, and wildlife is paying the price alongside property owners.
"For the long-term health and robustness of our wildlife, it's bad," said Devon Wildlife Trust communications officer Steve Hussey, according to the Guardian. "Wildflowers suffer in the same way as a farmer's crop that has been washed away."
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"It is difficult to come back from and there are unseen consequences. Some butterfly species overwinter as caterpillars. If they are washed away, what does it mean for a blue tit in a couple of months' time who needs to feed their chicks? … It sounds very apocalyptic, doesn't it?"
Why is flooding important?
Storm Chandra is just the latest in a series of storms to batter British shores. Two other storms have caused significant disruptions to the region within a month of Chandra.
Atmospheric pollution is trapping heat and exacerbating destructive weather patterns like these. Combined with rising sea levels, U.K. researchers anticipate storms to continue to rise in intensity.
These trends have a direct impact on insurance rates. Premiums can rise to untenable levels, or coverage can be pulled altogether. This financial pressure has the potential to create a housing crisis worse than 2008's.
What's being done about flooding in the UK?
Beaver repopulation efforts across the U.K. have helped to rebuild lost wetlands, which can buffer extreme rainfall. While the dams built by the rodents can be a helpful way of containing major influxes, they can't be relied on exclusively.
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"We have 30 beaver families on the River Otter, which flooded this week. We can't expect them to sort it," said Hussey, according to the Guardian. "They have to be part of a bigger mix. If you are waist-deep in your house in Ottery St Mary at the moment, having beavers in that river system isn't going to make much of a difference. We need to tackle soil compaction, plant trees in the right place, and improve soil health."
You can take local action by advocating for this kind of landscape rehabilitation and enjoy the additional flooding protection wetlands have to offer.
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