Community emergencies
You cannot predict when your community may be affected by a disaster, but you can try to be prepared. Communities can use local resources and knowledge to help themselves during an emergency and complement emergency services.
Risks to communities can include:
- severe weather
- infectious disease
- fuel shortages
- major accidents
Possible effects of a disaster can include:
- loss of life
- severe injury or illness
- damage to property
- travel restrictions
- lack of supplies
Planning for an emergency
It is worthwhile having a resilience plan for your community that details the knowledge and resources available to minimise disruption during a crisis.
A community resilience plan should:
- identify the essential requirements for your community
- set out what to do during a crisis with clear roles and responsibilities
- list the actions that allow key activities to continue in difficult circumstances
We've drafted a template you can use to make your resilience plan.
Support we offer
Training support and assistance is available for any community group that wants to complete a community resilience plan. We also have a property flood resilience product subsidy scheme.
Community resilience checklist
Make sure you know:
- which neighbours could be most vulnerable in an emergency
- what facilities are available for shelter and evacuation
- any specific local risks that could pose problems
- useful contact telephone numbers, including neighbours, emergency services, utility providers and local voluntary organisations
- what equipment is available that could be useful when responding to a crisis