An investigation of patterns of response and recovery among flood-affected businesses in the UK: A case study in Sheffield and Wakefield

Abstract

Despite the increasing impacts of recurrent flooding, there is dearth of research involving businesses preparedness and recovery. This research therefore focused on investigating the patterns of preparedness and trends in recovery among business properties. A review of literature was performed primarily to recognize the gaps requiring investigation followed by identification of two case studies (Wakefield and Sheffield in the UK) for empirical data collection. The survey enquired about the level of preparedness among a sample of the flood-affected business community using a self-administered questionnaire. Questions addressed the type of mitigation and preparedness activities and measures that they engaged in and adopted for recovery along with factors like time cost of recovery and sources of finances. Results from the survey suggest that business interruption was highly influential in terms of differential cost and time of recovery. It was not the direct impact of flooding rather the under-researched and lesser-perceived business interruption through indirect factors that were more significant for cost and time of recovery. Furthermore, evidence of businesses relying highly on selffinance was also apparent from the survey. Knowledge gained from the survey for preparedness measures indicated that out of flood-affected samples that flood experience is an important indicator of preparedness and mitigation actions. The outcome of the research has highlighted some of the least researched phenomena in the flood-affected business property sector and can demonstrate the need for more widespread efforts to improve disaster recovery among businesses and a novel input for future research.