What if? Preparing for emergencies

27 January 2009

What would you do in an emergency situation? Would you and your family be ready if you had to evacuate your home because of a gas leak, flooding or another incident?

Family Emergency Plan

If you haven’t planned, don’t worry – help is at hand. Waltham Forest Council’s Civil Contingencies Unit (CCU) has produced a free guide for residents to use to plan for emergency situations.

The CCU is responsible for planning the Council’s response to emergencies, from warning and informing the public about emergency situations and helping to ensure the Council maintains critical services throughout an emergency, to leading recovery efforts.

The handy foldout guide they have produced gives details of the Council’s Family Emergency Plan and four key things families should do to prepare. These can be remembered using the PLAN acronym - Prepare, Link up, Accommodate, Necessary kit.

• Prepare – Understand how an emergency might affect you and your family.
• Link up – Think about how you can stay in contact with your family during an emergency.
• Accommodate – Your house may be inaccessible during an emergency. Prepare for this by making sure you have an alternative place to stay.
• Necessary kit – Make sure you have the kit needed to survive in or out of your home.The Family Emergency Plan also gives a list of useful telephone numbers and an evacuation checklist.

Further information

• London Borough of Waltham Forest - Emergency Planning
• Family Emergency Plan PDF
• You can also pick up a free Emergency Plan from any Waltham Forest Direct shop and library or contact Waltham Forest Direct on 020 8496 3000.