Prepare For Winter Emergencies Now
Now is the time for residents to think about what measures they can put in place to ensure they are comfortable and safe in bad weather conditions or any other emergency. Most residents will remember the terrible scenes just a few years ago when motorists were trapped in their cars for hours and in some cases overnight on roads in the South East. Many people had no emergency supplies with them to either keep them warm, watered or fed.
Mid Beds District Council would like to remind residents, to prepare for the worst! Ideally do not travel in bad weather conditions unless you have to. Try to wait until the roads have been gritted before travelling and ensure someone always knows when you are expected and the route you will take.
If there is a bad snowfall or an extended power cut people will make their situation better by following a few simple guidelines:
- Put together an “emergency box” of useful items to help you out in an emergency
- Make up another one for your car in case you get stuck in snow or traffic for a long period
- Make yourself aware of local emergency contact numbers and how to find out information during severe weather
Your car “emergency box” should contain:
· Ice scraper and de-icer
· Torch Warm clothes and a blanket
· A pair of boots
· First-aid kit
· Battery jump leads
· A shovel if it’s likely to snow
· Food and a warm drink in a flask for particularly cold weather
· 24/48 hours supply of essential medicines
It’s also worth keeping a pair of sunglasses in the glove box to protect from the glare from the low winter sun.
Your basic “home emergency” box should contain:
· Three days supply of water (4 litres) per person per day for drinking and sanitation
· At least three days supply of non-perishable food – e.g. tinned food and a tin opener
· any regularly prescribed medication and first aid kit
· A battery radio, with spare batteries or a clockwork, wind-up radio
· A torch with spare batteries, candles and matches
· Wet wipes and rubbish bags for personal hygeine
· Spare clothes and blankets
· Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
· Essential medication
These lists are by no means exhaustive. Please visit Visit emergencyadviceonline.com to find out more.
Remember in the event of power cut cordless phones and those which run through cable or broadband systems will not work. Mobile phone networks may also go down and phones cannot be recharged- but old fashioned non-electrical phones will continue to function.
Iain Berry Emergency Planning Officer at Mid Beds said: “We don’t want people to panic, but also they should be prepared. Putting together these “emergency boxes” shouldn’t take very long and won’t cost a lot of money. But if there is a power cut or people can’t get out of the house for a day or two then these supplies will be invaluable. People should tune to their local radio stations for up to date information on the situation.”
In times of emergency our advice is to “go in, stay in and tune in to local radio”. Local radio station frequencies:
- Three Counties Radio: 95.5 fm
- Chiltern Radio: 96.9 fm
ENDS
