Our work in Kingston-upon-Hull in the UK with people affected by the huge 2007 floods revealed that nobody was paying much attention to children and young people. It showed that the children experienced different kinds of problems, particularly with recovery. So after the 2013/14 winter floods in England we wanted to work closely with a wide age range of children and young people to find out their ideas for how they could be better supported before, during and after floods. Disaster research tells us that it is really important to listen directly to those affected, not so-called ‘experts’. The children and young people we have worked with are the experts and their experience is really valuable for policymakers and practitioners in addressing flooding, which is the most severe environmental risk facing the UK.