Hidden consequence
Nichols continued: “The physical impact of extreme weather is impossible to ignore. But there is reason to be concerned about another ‘hidden’ consequence of the UK’s increasingly destructive weather – the harm it is doing to people’s mental health.
“For some victims, the psychological toll of flooding is just as devastating as the disaster itself .
“With five million people in England at risk of flooding and climate change intensifying the frequency and severity of extreme weather, a mental health crisis is looming.”
Referring to mental health as the “silent casualty of flooding”, it is important that it is not forgotten alongside the more immediate priorities, he added.