The Environment Agency
is urging people across Surrey to prepare
for emergencies – such as flooding - now,
rather than waiting until
it’s too late.
The “Prepare now. Know
later” campaign, which was recently launched
by the Surrey Local Resilience Forum (SLRF),
focuses on major incidents such as severe
flooding, pandemic flu and terrorist threats.
This campaign aims to give people advice
and guidance on preparing for emergencies
before they happen.
The Surrey Alert website
at www.surreyalert.info has been redesigned
to provide a host of planning advice and
will also carry important updates if a major
incident happens.
A small fold-out booklet
on how to prepare for emergencies and what
to do if one happens is being distributed
to elderly and vulnerable people in Surrey
via services such as ‘Meals on Wheels’ and
community wardens.
The credit card-sized
booklet has been designed to fit in wallets
or purses and will be available at public
buildings such as libraries and police stations
towards the end of October. Top tips from
the card are also being printed in local
newspapers and community magazines.
Ian Tomes, Flood Risk
Manager for South East Thames said:
“Preventing loss of
life or harm to people during floods is
our number one priority and we work closely
with the police, fire and rescue services
and local authorties to increase people’s
awareness of the risk of flooding. This
campaign serves to highlight some of the
possible risks that people face and make
sure they know where to go for advice and
guidance.
“The best way to minimise
the damage of a flood is to be prepared.
We can advise on how to protect your property
and we strongly recommend that every household
and business at risk has a plan of action
that can be put in place during a flood.
Taking some simple steps today can make
a huge difference should the worst happen.”
Floods are natural events.
They mainly happen when rivers receive large
amounts of water due to heavy rainfall or
melting snow. This extra water causes the
level of the water in the river to rise
and flooding can occur.
Ian Tomes added:
“As we approach winter,
flooding is more likely as the weather tends
to be wetter and the soil becomes more saturated,
but flooding can happen any time of year.
Over 5 million people in England and Wales
live in properties at risk of flooding from
rivers or the sea. Find out if you are one
of them, how to prepare for a flood and
if flood warnings are available in your
area by visiting the Environment Agency’s
website at: www.environment-agency.gov.uk/flood
”
SLRF works behind-the-scenes
to ensure the emergency services, councils
and organisations including the Environment
Agency are ready to respond to any major
incident in the county.
Animations on local
news websites and the homepages of Surrey-based
users of social-networking sites, such as
Facebook, are encouraging web surfers to
click through to Surrey Alert, a message
that is being supported by announcements
on radio stations across the county.
Anyone who wants more
information about how they can prepare now
to know later should visit www.surreyalert.info.
