Emergency Planning

Are you prepared for power failures, telephone failures and (possibly) blocked roads in the event of loss of power from essential services?

If the power and telephone lines were down, and the roads are blocked, for how long could you survive?

• Do you have alternative heating and lighting?
  Gas heaters, candles, gas lamps, torches, lighters or matches, even a 12v lead from your car)?
• Do you have adequate fuel for open fires or solid fuel stoves?
  Check that you have sufficient supplies and that it is stored somewhere dry.
• Do you have bottled gas to cook and bottled water to boil a kettle?
  Even to fill up your hot water bottles!
• Do you have a hard-wired phone?
  The portable ones will not work without power?
• If you have a mobile phone do you have an alternative means of charging it?
  Your car perhaps, or even one of those "gadgets"! Remember that the receiving stations may cease working if they are without power for very long.
• Do you have a suitable supply of food to keep you going for several days?
  A few tins, some dried milk, as well as what you may have in your fridge or freezer - which you should wrap up to keep the cold in!
• Do you have warm clothes if there is a loss of power is during the winter?
  Keep some warm clothes and blankets nearby.
• Do you have medication for at least a week?
  Ensure that you have all you prescriptions submitted in plenty of time to guarantee your supplies.
• Do you have a battery (or wind up) radio?
  So that you have some idea of what is happening from Radio Suffolk, also spare batteries for that and your torches.
• Do you have the mobile phone and land-line numbers, of your immediate neighbours, as well as your local parish councillor.
  Make sure that your phonebook is up to date with the latest and correct numbers.
• Is your water supply safe from frost?
  Lagged where exposed or close to an outside wall? Don't forget to turn off the outside tap if loss of supply is during winter!