Scholars have called for further critical reflection on and hence advancement of popular theories of risk. Classic texts such as Beck’s risk society thesis have been criticised for their Eurocentricity, making them difficult to use in non-Western contexts. This limitation is especially problematic given that so many risks and natural hazards occur in precisely the Southern, developing regions of the world which Beck’s work largely neglects. In this article, I draw on data from a year of anthropological fieldwork (2010–2011) plus shorter follow up visits to the research area in 2014 and 2015. I use these data to examine the relationship between Jakartan slum dwellers’ experiences and perceptions of severe, recurrent flood risk and the central arguments of Beck’s thesis. I argue that while some elements of Beck’s theoretical framework provide insights into a non-Western, highly risk-prone context, other aspects of his thesis are less helpful and need to be reworked using alternative theories of risk.