Most Hertfordshire residents have yet to prepare for emergencies

Like all counties, Hertfordshire faces potential risks, such as losing supply of services we depend on every day and weather-related hazards. But 79% of residents, who responded to the survey, said they had not prepared for an emergency.

The news comes as Hertfordshire Local Resilience Forum (HLRF) has launched a campaign to encourage residents to prepare for emergency situations, entitled: “Are You Ready?’  The campaign directs them to the webpage www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/ready where there is a host of practical information to help them.

Alex Woodman, Hertfordshire’s Chief Fire Officer and Executive Director for Community Protection, said:

“As we increasingly see our communities impacted by more adverse weather, and hot temperature records are broken year on year, it is more important than ever that residents are prepared for the hazards we could face.

“And these are just some of the risks they could face. We want to empower them to understand these risks for themselves and take simple steps to prepare – simple, but ones that could make the world of difference in protecting themselves, their families and friends ahead of time.

“The results of this survey show the information is needed more than ever. But the good news is that many residents also showed a real desire to want to learn more, so we are here today to say – here are the tools and we will support you to be ready for anything.”

The highest risks in the county are extreme weather (hot and cold), flooding, cyber attacks, power and utilities outages, pandemics and terrorism. Yet just 21% said they were aware of what the risks in Hertfordshire are.

In addition, the survey found:

• 79% of people were unaware of the most likely risks Hertfordshire faces
• 86% of respondents did not know where to find information on preparing for emergency situations
• 96% of people thought it was important to prepare for possible emergencies.
• 76% knew how to turn off the gas, water and electricity where they live – which is important to know in some situations, such as flooding
• Only 36% of respondents had a battery powered or wind-up FM radio at home
• 92% had home insurance, covering the cost of damage, including flooding
• 76% did not have an emergency supply of bottled water (3 litres per person per day) at home
• 93% had not heard of the Hertfordshire Local Resilience Forum.