Preparing your community for an emergency

Emergencies can happen anywhere and at any time. This could be severe weather, flooding, a power cut, a health outbreak or a serious accident. You can take simple steps to help yourself, your family and your neighbours cope if something goes wrong.

Being prepared does not mean doing the work of the emergency services. It means having basic plans, information and supplies so you can manage safely until help arrives.

Your community might be a street, a block of flats, a village or a local group. It can be formal or informal. Even small actions can make a real difference.

Why being prepared matters

Everyday life depends on things working as expected. When one part fails, it can affect schools, jobs, health care and transport very quickly. Planning ahead helps reduce stress and disruption and allows emergency services to focus on people who need urgent help.

Emergency services and councils work together during major incidents, but communities that are prepared recover more quickly.

What you can do now

You can:

• prepare your home with basic emergency supplies
• check on neighbours who may need extra support
• share information and phone numbers locally
• make simple plans for bad weather or power cuts

Find out more

Useful advice, checklists and templates are available from Ready Scotland and the Met Office.