Preparing for emergencies

Create a plan to prepare for an emergency situation

The chances of you experiencing a major incident or emergency are low. Nevertheless, they do happen within the Thames Valley. Emergencies may affect individuals, parts of a community or they may affect a wider area. They can happen at any time, so it's important to be prepared.

Preparing for an emergency means that you work out in advance how you would respond to an emergency of any type. This means taking into account the needs of your family, your job or business. Looking at the part you play in your local community. 

Your preparations could include making sure:

  • you have key information
  • medication
  • a phone charger
  • warm clothing to hand if you had to leave your home in an emergency
  • planning somewhere safe away from home
  • knowing about plans in your community to keep people safe in a wider area emergency

Emergency services and the council will prioritise people in greatest need during an emergency, especially where life is in danger. This means that individuals and communities may initially need to respond themselves in order to cope with the situation.

Experience has shown that people who have spent time planning and preparing for this, are better able to manage and recover more quickly.

Creating an emergency plan

As an individual or family

The Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum provides some clear and practical advice to help you prepare for and respond to an emergency.

This personal flood plan also provides a good template to fill in. It won't take long, but could be a lifesaver. A plan can help you deal quickly and effectively with a stressful situation. Get your whole family or household involved in writing the plan so they're prepared too.

Priority Services Register

The Priority Services Register (PSR) is a free service provided by suppliers and network operators to customers in need. Being a priority user means you will receive priority support in an emergency, advance notice of planned outages, and much more.

You are eligible to sign up to the Priority Services Register and receive more support if you:

  • Have children under 5 years old
  • Are over 60 years old
  • Have special communication needs
  • Are disabled
  • Are electricity-dependent (such as for medical care)
  • Have a chronic illness
  • Have a short term medical condition

Suppliers and operators also recognise that people can be vulnerable because of life-changing events such as bereavement and recovery from hospital treatment.

Find out more and sign up through your power or water supplier. You can find their contact details on your energy bill. If you don't have this to hand, see Who's my energy supplier or network operator? and type in your postcode to find out who you should contact.

As a community

A community doesn't have to mean something formal, like a recognised group or an organisation.

It can mean a group of people who are linked by a common bond, shared interests or simply because they live close to one another. Examples of a community are:

  • you and your immediate neighbours
  • your street, your village or town
  • a group such as a football team or the Women's Institute (WI)
  • a parish or town council
  • school

We encourage all communities to think about what they would do in an emergency and to develop a community emergency plan.

Your starting point is to consider which communities you belong to.

As a business

Use the community emergency plan template to develop your community plan.

Once you've prepared your plan(s), or if you need further support creating one, contact the Joint Emergency Planning Unit (JEPU). They will be happy to support you and review your plan(s).

The JEPU covers Bracknell, West Berkshire and Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead councils.

Emergency 'grab bag'

In an emergency situation you may need to move quickly, so it’s important to have a few necessities to hand.

Ideally, prepare a small easy-to-carry bag with essentials and store it in an accessible place ready to go. At the very least, have an up-to-date check list for things to put into your emergency “grab bag” and know where they are.

The bag contents will vary depending on your needs but may include:

Emergency items

  • essential and prescribed medication, plus asthma and respiratory aids
  • hearing aids
  • glasses or contact lenses
  • useful phone numbers
  • mobile phone and charger
  • house and car keys
  • money and credit cards
  • first aid kit
  • basic toiletries, such as toothbrush and toothpaste, sanitary towels

Other essential items

This will vary according to your needs and the weather.

  • supplies for babies and small children
  • food, milk formula, drinks you use, food bowls, sterile bottles, sterilising tablets
  • change of clothing
  • nappies and wipes
  • toys, books and activities
  • food and water - canned or dried food, snacks, bottled drinking water
  • special food needs
  • clothing and equipment
  • warm, wind and rainproof clothing
  • strong shoes for outdoors
  • waterproof torch and spare batteries - check regularly
  • radio and spare batteries - check regularly, perhaps consider getting wind-up torches and radios

Other items to consider

  • copies of insurance documents
  • anti-bacterial hand wipes and gel
  • blankets and sleeping bags
  • sun hats and sunscreen
  • rubbish bags
  • thermos flask
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Additional resources

It's important to make sure you have a contingency plan for the care of your pet(s) and livestock, in case you need to be evacuated. See pet welfare during emergencies for more information.

The Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum Community Risk Register highlights potential hazards in our area which you should consider when creating your emergency plan(s).

Preparing for emergencies on GOV.UK helps people, businesses and communities to identify and prepare for the hazards and threats that may disrupt their lives.