Purpose Located at the confluence of the White and Blue Niles, in the core of Sudan’s capital, the small island of Tuti has been affected by flooding events throughout its history. To protect it, the Tuti people (Tawatas) developed the Taya, a traditional early warning, community-based flood management system. However, several challenges, including climate change impacts, demographic variations, a fluctuating economy and, more recently, an ongoing armed conflict, are increasing the risks associated with the annual flooding, threatening this traditional knowledge and other local community practices. Design/methodology/approach In the framework of International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM)’s Net Zero: Heritage for Climate Action project Tuti Island was presented as an innovation site, aiming to deepen on Tuti’s traditional knowledge as an efficient heritage-based adaptation strategy to reduce the impacts of climate change. Unfortunately, the implementation of the project faced more challenges and constraints than initially foreseen when the conflict broke out in the capital of Sudan in April 2023. The project activities, methodology and approach had to be redesigned in light of the new situation. Findings The Taya traditional system plays a key role in reducing vulnerabilities and enhancing the community’s capacity to address the impacts of climate change, as well as to cope with other crises, including armed conflict, due to its deep connection with the Tawata’s identity. Originality/value The project, which was originally planned to focus on climate action through heritage, became a representative case of the disaster–conflict nexus, reminding us that overlapping crises may occur in the same area, putting additional pressure on the population, their cultural heritage and the measures to tackle specific issues.