Have you ever been in an everyday situation where you had wished you brought something with you because it would have been useful?

In the event of an evacuation, there will be very little time to think about what you may need and it is therefore important to pre-empt the possibility of being evacuated and the conditions you will be exposed to.

We therefore encourage residents to make their own emergency grab bag which is prepared in advance, kept as near to the front door as possible and taken with you should the need arise. An example of what you may want to put in the bag is given below.

• A copy of your Family Emergency Plan
• Details of regular prescription items for your family
• Useful telephone numbers e.g. friends, family, insurance, doctors, utilities, etc
• Mobile phone and charger
• Important documents e.g. passport, birth certificates, insurance, etc.
• Toiletries
• First aid kit
• Bottles of water
• Wind up or battery powered radio and spare batteries
• Torch and spare batteries
• Notebook and pen
• Essential keys e.g. house, car, etc.
• Special items e.g. glasses / contact lenses, items for babies / children / elderly / disabled
• Cash, debit / credit cards
• Non perishable food (cereal bars etc)
• Supplies for very young children or pets

This list is not exhaustive and can be tailored to the individual's needs.

Learning basic first aid techniques can help every day, not just in an emergency.

Taking a short amount of time to learn the basics now could help to save a life. The British Red Cross and St John Ambulance provide training in basic First Aid.

There are always some preventive steps we can take to lessen the impact of an emergency event occurring or to deal with the disruption that will arise.

Some of the actions individuals and organisations can take to ensure they are properly prepared are detailed below:

Human Health

Find out about the steps you can take to reduce the risk of getting flu and help the spread of the virus: Flu on the NHS website

Flooding

You can prepare your property for flooding by adapting the building to try to prevent flood water getting in and damaging walls, floors and contents.  You can also make improvements so that even if flood water gets into the building, it causes less damage and makes drying-out and cleaning faster and easier.

For flooding alerts visit Environment agency and weather advice visit Met office

Fire

Find out simple steps to protect you and your family from fire:

• Fire safety in the home
• Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service