Community Resilience
Severe weather, flooding, power cuts and other emergency situations can affect us all at one time or another. The advice on this page will ensure you are prepared for a situation you may find yourself in.
If you are in immediate danger call 999.
Community Risk Register
The Community Risk Register provides information on the key risks facing our area and helps improve understanding of how emergencies may affect local communities. It also highlights the work being undertaken by the Local Resilience Forum (LRF) and partner organisations to help reduce and manage these risks. While responders work together to prepare for and respond to emergencies, everyone has a role to play in being prepared. Taking simple steps now can help you, your family, and your community become more resilient when incidents occur.
Before An Emergency Arises
Make an emergency plan to prepare you and your family for an emergency using our household emergency plan template below.
- Make a list of any medication you or your family take.
- Keep a list of emergency contact numbers and insurance numbers.
- Make sure that important documents and emergency supplies are kept out of the way of flood water, this could be in a fireproof box or external hard drive with a recent back-up from your computer.
Grab Bags
It is important to keep a bag full of important items that you might need if you are evacuated from your home in an emergency. Items may include :
- Medication 💊
- Important documents 📄
- Toiletries🪥
- Mobile phone and charger📱
- Cash and credit cards💵
- Warm clothing🧦
- Bottled water and ready - to - eat food 🥤
- Baby food and care items where necessary 🍼
- First aid kit 🌡️
- Wind up battery torch and radio 🔦
Power Outage
The following items may be useful in case of a power cut.
- Wind up torches 🔦
- Battery powered light sources 💡
- Tinned food 🥫
- Ready to eat food which doesn't require heating 🧃
- Antibacterial wipes 🧻
- Portable power bank 🔋
- Extra blankets/foil blankets🧸
- Hot water bottles♨️
- Bottled water💧
- First aid kit⛑️
During An Emergency
Use social media to keep up with emergency information.
- BBC Breaking News on Twitter
- Northern Echo on Twitter
- Met Office on Twitter
- Environment Agency on Twitter
- Durham Police on Twitter
Local Radio Stations
- BBC Radio Newcastle (95-96fm,103.5-104.5fm)
- BBC Radio Tees (95fm)
- Metro (102-103fm, 97.1fm)
- Capital North East (105-106fm)
- Bishop FM (105.9fm)
- Sun FM (103.4fm)
Check Northern Powergrid’s website for the most up to date information and advice on power cuts. You will also find links to their social media feeds which you may want to follow: www.northernpowergrid.com/power-cuts-home
Priority Service Registers
Utility companies each have their own free, vulnerable persons register. If you feel necessary, sign up below to ensure you are on the priority service list in an incident :
Northern Powergrid : https://www.northernpowergrid.com/care
Northern Gas Networks : https://www.northerngasnetworks.co.uk/network-supply/priority-customers/
Northumbrian Water : https://www.nwl.co.uk/priority
For further information please visit : https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/getting-extra-help-priority-services-register
Community Emergency Plans
These are plans that sit under your local Parish Council or community group which are put together by residents in your community (with the help of the Local Authority and the Environment Agency) that outline any local knowledge, local skills and resources within the community that may be useful during an emergency. The plans can also hold information to identify any vulnerable people living in the community.
Information has been collated to guide and help local communities plan for emergency situations.
If you are interested in creating a community emergency plan, please email Durham County Council's Civil Contingencies Unit at ccuenquiries@durham.gov.uk
