Preparing for emergencies
Be prepared for winter
The winter of 2010/11 was the coldest recorded since 1978/79 with temperatures reaching a low of nearly minus 15 degrees.
The West Yorkshire Resilience Forum, of which Calderdale Council is a member, urges people to take a few simple steps which could reduce the risk of ill-health, accident or injury in the coming months.
To reduce the impact of severe weather, their advice is to follow these simple steps:
Be prepared
Purchase heating oil supplies
During the winter 2010/11, severe hardship was suffered by householders who could not receive supplies of heating oil for their heating systems either due to roads being impassable or to suppliers running out of stocks. Some vulnerable residents were particularly badly affected and required assistance by the emergency services and the Council. Businesses were also affected as their heating gas supplies were disrupted.
A national campaign to raise awareness in this area and to encourage the early ordering of supplies was started. Householders who rely on heating oil are urged to stock up in the autumn period when prices tend to be lower, and when suppliers are better able to deliver more quickly. For more information, visit Citizens Advice Bureau: Buy heating oil early to save on fuel costs|
If you know anyone who uses heating oil, please pass this information on to assist them in being prepared in the event of another severe winter.
- Keep food cupboards well stocked.
- Make sure you have enough money on your electricity and gas meters and keep a torch somewhere handy.
- Listen to the weather forecasts: Met Office: UK: Severe weather warnings|
Sometimes it’s not safe to make a journey so stay at home. - If you have to travel, be prepared for all weather conditions and plan your route accordingly. Get your vehicle serviced and carry an emergency kit in the boot. Highways Agency: Make time for winter driving this season|
Follow the ‘snow code’
- When clearing snow follow these simple tips to make sure you clear snow and ice safely: Directgov: Clearing snow and ice|
Keep in touch
- Make a note of important phone numbers such as:
NHS Direct| on 0845 46 47
West Yorkshire Urgent Care Services on 0345 605 99 99;
your gas, water and electricity suppliers, and friends, carers, relatives and neighbours. - Keep up to date on weather warnings by listening to the local radio, visiting the Met Office website or logging on to their Twitter, Facebook and other social networks.
Keep warm
- Heat your home, or at least the rooms you use often, to between 18 and 21 degrees Celsius.
- Wear layers of clothes to trap warm air and wrap up warm in bed.
- Eat at least one hot meal a day and drink plenty of non-alcoholic drinks, particularly hot drinks like tea, coffee or hot squash.
Keep well
- If you have prescription medicines make sure you have a stock in. Don’t forget COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) inhalers or asthma preventer inhalers, particularly for children.
- Don’t go outside in severe weather unless you need to; instead try to keep active indoors. If you do need to go out, wrap up warm and wear sturdy, non-slip footwear
- Keep an eye on elderly friends and neighbours and get more information: AgeUK: How to keep warm in the winter months|
For more information about emergency preparedness in West Yorkshire visit West Yorkshire Resilience Forum|; for national information visit Directgov: Dealing with Emergencies|
Support from the Council
Calderdale Council try to keep the most important roads safe and as free as possible from wintry hazards. To do this precautionary salting is carried out by a fleet of 22 gritters. They work on routes covering over 600kms (around 67%) of the Calderdale road network. It is impossible for the gritters to spread salt on every road. Over 600 salt bins are provided at key points throughout the district for use by residents, motorists and pedestrians.
For more information on when and where the Council grit, see Winter service.
- Assist and support the emergency services in responding to 999 calls and keeping access to hospitals clear.
- During periods of severe cold weather and snow Council services will work together with external organisations to ensure, where possible, vulnerable people continue to receive the care they need.
- The Council will communicate important messages about staying safe and well during periods of severe weather.
- Bin collections will be rescheduled where necessary and communicated at the time.
- Calderdale Council’s website has an area where educational establishments are able to report closures or information relating to closures due to snow and ice. Individual schools are responsible for updating this information. See Emergency education closures.
