Staying safe in an emergency

Community resilience is about local people and groups coming together during an incident. 

They pull together local resources and skills to help themselves and each other. This often helps the emergency services' response. It can benefit the whole community, especially during large events where resources are tight.

There are several ways you can help your community be more resilient, whether at work or at home:

• find out whether a neighbour or colleague may need extra help during a crisis and how you can help them
• pay attention to vulnerable people, including the elderly, the disabled, heavily pregnant women and those with babies or small children
• pass information about vulnerable people to the emergency services
• don't put yourself at risk

Often, those affected or displaced are temporarily put up in a nearby emergency centre. You could offer to help out. Perhaps you could translate for someone who can't speak English or offer someone a cup of tea and a listening ear. You could become a volunteer to help improve community preparedness and help the emergency services. There are many organisations you can join, including:

• British Red Cross
• St John Ambulance
• Salvation Army
• Royal Voluntary Service
• Neighbourhood Watch