Planning for emergencies: are you ready

One of the most important things you can do to prepare for an emergency is to spend a few minutes making a household emergency plan. You need to make sure all your family know about it. There are many types of emergencies that could disrupt your daily life, some of these can leave you isolated from immediate help.

Emergencies can come in many forms but could include:

• severe weather - snow, ice, flooding, heatwave, high winds
• infectious diseases such as pandemic influenza or norovirus
• animal diseases such as foot and mouth or avian flu
• transport accidents such as train or plane crashes
• industrial incidents - perhaps from a chemical factory, a fuel storage depot or even a fireworks store

Having a household plan can help you deal quickly and effectively in a stressful situation. Involving your family in writing the plan can help them be prepared too.

It does not need to be complicated, but you should consider what is around you: where you live, work or visit. For example, you may live near a river, airport or factory. Ask yourself and your family the question, ‘what if?’ then find the answers. Think about emergency friends, important contacts and how people would know your needs in an emergency. Consider scanning important documents to a secure location.