York residents invited to plan for emergencies

 
Issued by City of York Council

City of York Council is hosting York’s first Planning for Emergencies event for residents to learn more about how organisations respond to emergency situations and how they themselves can be better prepared.

Following on from the council’s Flooding Conference which successfully lobbied for a new national agreement between Government and the insurance industry, this event will involve partners including North Yorkshire Police, the Met Office, the Environment Agency, British Red Cross and the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Together with council officers, they will help individuals, families and communities better understand how to avoid some of the worst effects of emergency such as flooding, severe weather or power failure, how to recover quickly from them and become more resilient to the future events.

There will also be the opportunity to talk to local volunteers such as the council’s snow wardens and the Environment Agency’s flood wardens, as well as learn how to get involved in these and other community action groups.

Councillor Linsay Cunningham-Cross, City of York Council’s Cabinet Member for Crime and Stronger Communities, said: “During recent episodes of flooding in particular, we learned yet more about how residents can work with us to take measures to protect themselves, support others and quickly get back to normal following emergency incidents.

“Understanding the role of the agencies involved also helps save time and improve response times. Depending on demand, we may run more of these events and possibly in areas of high demand.”

Councillor Dafydd Williams, City of York Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, Performance and Customer Service, said: “Good emergency planning helps build communities’ confidence and preparedness, especially for those most prone to situations such as flooding, or most susceptible to a health crisis.

“I urge people to attend if they’re able and work with us and our partners.”

The event will be held at West Offices on Thursday 3 October from 5.30pm to 8.30pm.

Everyone attending will be given an information pack which they’re invited to share with friends, neighbours and community groups they may be involved with, and which will be available online.

Places are limited to the first hundred applicants who can book via email or telephone (01904) 553017.

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