Don’t panic, prepare: West Yorkshire residents encouraged to ‘Be Ready’

Residents across West Yorkshire are being encouraged to take a few simple steps to prepare for emergencies as part of a new national campaign aimed at building stronger, more resilient communities.

The UK Government’s new ‘Be Ready’ campaign encourages households to think about how they would cope if everyday services such as electricity, water, mobile phone networks or the internet were disrupted for a short period of time.

The campaign is not being launched in response to any specific threat or incident. Instead, it is designed to help bring the UK into line with many other European countries, where emergency preparedness campaigns are a normal part of everyday life. Recent large-scale power outages affecting parts of Spain and Portugal highlighted how disruption to essential services can affect daily life and demonstrated the value of being prepared in advance.

West Yorkshire Prepared, the Local Resilience Forum (LRF) for the region, is supporting the campaign and encouraging residents to take practical, affordable steps to improve their resilience.

Simple actions include:

• Signing up to your utility company’s Priority Services register if eligible.
• Keeping enough food and drinking water at home for up to three days.
• Making sure important phone numbers are available if digital services are unavailable.
• Staying informed about local risks and emergency alerts.
• Checking on neighbours, friends and relatives who may need additional support during an emergency.

The campaign recognises that many households are already facing financial pressures and stresses that resilience can be built gradually over time. Many actions are free, and most households may already have some of the items they need.

Dave Walton, Deputy Chief Fire Officer of West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and Co-Chair of West Yorkshire Prepared, said:
“Emergencies can happen at any time and can be caused by a wide range of events, from severe weather and flooding to power outages and infrastructure disruption. The likelihood of being directly affected by a major emergency is low, but taking a few simple steps now can make a significant difference if an incident does occur.

“Being prepared isn’t about causing concern. It’s about helping people feel more confident and able to look after themselves, their families and those around them until services return to normal.”

Recent research suggests there is strong public support for emergency preparedness, but many people remain unsure where to start.

A recent resilience survey found:

• 65% of West Yorkshire residents believe emergencies and disasters will become more common over the next decade.
• 77% believe there are actions people can take to prepare effectively, however only 14% consider themselves largely or fully prepared for an emergency.
• The majority believe preparedness is a shared responsibility:88% think the government has a significant role in preparing for emergencies, 79% believe local councils and 72% believe it is the responsibility of individuals themselves.

The findings also highlighted the strong community spirit that exists across the region, with almost three-quarters of respondents saying they would be willing to volunteer to help their community recover after an emergency.

Dave added: “One of the most important messages from this campaign is that preparedness is about helping each other. When those who are able to prepare take simple steps to do so, it helps emergency responders and partner organisations focus their support on people who are most vulnerable and need assistance first.”

West Yorkshire Prepared is a partnership of emergency services, local authorities, health organisations and other agencies that work together to help communities prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies.