WHY EMERGENCY PLANNING IS MOVING UP THE UK BOARDROOM AGENDA
Extreme weather is increasingly shaping how British businesses think about risk, resilience and continuity. Flooding, wildfires and severe storms are no longer isolated incidents but recurring disruptions that can shut down workplaces, schools and public services with little warning.
Figures highlighted by BBC Morning Live show that almost five million properties across the UK are now located in areas vulnerable to surface water flooding. At the same time, data reported by the National Fire Chiefs Council indicates that fire and rescue services in England and Wales had attended more than 850 wildfire incidents by mid-August 2025.
For organisations, the consequences extend far beyond immediate safety concerns. Severe weather can force temporary closures, displace staff and interrupt essential services, with prolonged shutdowns often leading to significant financial losses. Repair costs, lost productivity and reputational damage can compound rapidly, particularly for firms that are unprepared.
As a result, emergency response planning is increasingly viewed as a strategic necessity rather than a regulatory formality. Clear contingency frameworks help organisations protect employees, maintain communication during a crisis and reduce the time required to resume operations once conditions stabilise.
Risk assessments form a central part of these plans, enabling organisations to identify vulnerabilities in advance — from exposure to flooding to structural or logistical weaknesses — and take preventative measures before an incident escalates.
Alongside planning, attention is turning to how essential facilities can be restored quickly when buildings are damaged or deemed unsafe. Modular construction has emerged as a practical solution, allowing temporary or replacement spaces to be delivered and made operational far faster than traditional construction methods.
Modular buildings can be deployed within days rather than months, providing organisations with a way to maintain continuity when conventional premises are unavailable. Their adaptability also allows spaces to be expanded, reconfigured or relocated as needs evolve, making them suitable for a wide range of uses, including offices, classrooms and healthcare facilities.
The approach has gained prominence beyond weather-related events. The discovery of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in public buildings has forced emergency relocations across the education sector, highlighting the importance of rapid, compliant alternatives.
One secondary school in Warwickshire faced the urgent challenge of relocating around 800 pupils and staff after RAAC was identified on site. Modular teaching facilities — including specialist classrooms, a music block and a library — were delivered within weeks, allowing teaching to resume with minimal disruption.
“The speed of delivery was critical,” said Jane Burrows, Finance Director at Myton School. “Despite the scale of the challenge, disruption to learning was kept to a minimum, with students back in classrooms within two months.”
As climate risks intensify, businesses in areas prone to flooding, wildfires or heatwaves are reassessing whether temporary measures are sufficient. Increasingly, modular buildings are being considered not only as emergency solutions but as permanent infrastructure designed to meet the same regulatory standards as traditional structures, while offering greater resilience.
For many organisations, the message is becoming clear: extreme weather is no longer an occasional disruption but a structural risk. Those that combine robust emergency planning with flexible infrastructure are likely to recover faster, protect staff more effectively and limit long-term damage when the next incident occurs.
