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Disasters provide investments in flood and fire risk -related technicians

Suzanne Bearne

Technology porter

Getty Images Cars that float in the flood in derby after the river of the Went had broken its banks during the Storm Babet on October 21, 2023.Getty pictures

Storm Babet caused floods in Great Britain in October 2023

When Storm Babet hit the city of Trowell in Nottingham in 2023, Claire Sneddon was confident that her home would not be affected.

After all, she was informed by the real estate agent that an earlier flood in the previous year, which was not affected, was not affected, was a unique event and that flood measures to protect the real estate on the dead end were set up to achieve a one -off flood that had reached the property.

When Storm Babet tore through Great Britain two years later two years later, Ms. Sneddon's house flooded after several days of rain.

“We knew that there would be water in the dead end, but nobody expected that it would flood again internally. However, the water entered the property for five hours,” she said.

“It reached to the top of the control panels. We had to replace the soil, the woodwork and the lower kitchen, which lasted almost 12 months.”

The last insurance bill was around £ 45,000.

She said that they were lucky enough to have qualified for a state system that has affordably insured homeowners in areas with high-flood risk.

Although she loves the area, her neighbors and the house, the weather is now a cause of stress. “We are constantly worried about the weather when it is raining for more than a few days or there is a storm mentioned.

“We wish we had taken more steps to understand the risk. The survey showed that the property was in a medium flood area, but there were not many details as flood cards.”

Claire Sneddon Clair Sneddons flooded living room Claire Sneddon

Claire Sneddon's house was flooded for hours and needed weeks to dry out

Climate change is Increase the likelihood and intensity of natural disasters such as floods, forest fires and hurricanes.

While it may be too late for Ms. Sneddon and other homeowners, new tools are being developed to help people and companies to evaluate the climate risk.

Last December, the British environmental authority updated its national flood riso assessment (NAFRA) and had the current and future flood risk of rivers, sea and surface water for England.

It used its own data alongside the local authorities and climate data from the Met Office.

It also brought the national coastal erosion risk card (NCerm) up to date. They were both updated in 2018 and 2017.

The new NAFRA data show that in England up to 6.3 million real estate in areas that are flooded by rivers, sea or surface water, and with climate change, this could increase to around 8 million.

“In recent years, we have spent changing our understanding of flood and coastal erosion risk in England and relying on the best available data … as well as improved modeling and technological progress,” said Julie Foley, director of flood risk strategy in the environmental agency.

“If we blame the latest climate projections, one of four properties could be in areas in which the risk of flooding in the middle of the century could be exposed.”

The environmental authority is planning plans Start a portal Where users can check their long -term flood risk.

Similar resources exist for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

“We can no longer rely on historical data,” says Lukky Ahmed, co -founder of Climate X.

The climate protection company based in London offers a digital twin on earth that simulates various extreme weather events and its possible effects on properties, infrastructure and assets under various emission scenarios.

It combines artificial intelligence with physics -based climate models.

“While many climate models tell you how much precipitation is to be expected, do not say what happens when the water occurs on the ground”

“Our models, for example, simulate what happens when the water hits, where it flows and what effects the flood will be.

While banks are lender, real estate companies are currently using their services when they consider new developments.

“You register in our platform and identify locations and existing building stocks and, in return, receive a risk assessment and the severity that are associated with dangers,” says Ahmed.

Getty Images A violent fire burns behind a street sign for Sunset Boulevard during the fires in Los Angeles in January 2025 Getty pictures

Parts of Los Angeles saw devastating fires in January

Many parts of the world have much more extreme weather than Great Britain.

In the United States in January, devastating wild fires were destroyed Parts of Los Angeles. In the meantime, the hurricane Milton, who landed last October, is likely to be one of the Mostoslicest hurricane to meet West Florida.

In order to help insurers managing these costs, Faura in New York analyzes the resistance of houses and trade buildings.

“We look at the various elements of a property to understand how likely it is to survive and determine the resilience and survival ability of a property,” says Valkyrie Holmes, co -founder of Faura.

“We say companies and home owners whether their ownership will still stand after a catastrophe, not only whether a disaster will take place in an area,” he adds.

Faura supports its ratings on satellite and aerial photographs and data from surveys and disaster reports.

“Technically, insurance companies have the data to do this to do this, but the models did not build up to quantify them,” says Holmes.

Redfin Daryl FairweatherRedfin

The risk of climate can “make or break a real estate sale,” says Daryl Fairweather

Other services appear for buyers. For the Immarkt real estate, the US company Redfin estimates the percentage of natural disasters such as flooding and forest fires that occur in every property up to the next 30 years.

“When people look at two houses with the same layout in the same neighborhood, the risk of climate will go out or break [their decision]”, says Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather.

As far as Ms. Sneddon is concerned, she now works for the FPS Group for flood risks.

“The flood risk will only worsen in the coming years, so it is important to find out as much as possible about the risk of flood for a property,” she advises.

“Floods have a major impact on communities and mental health. You should feel safe in your home, it shouldn't be a place of concern and fear.”