feature: Dealing with disasters
14 September 2007
How would we cope in Haringey if disaster struck? That’s the question many of us have asked after watching the floods across the country and the aftermath of the London bombings.
The answer is that we have an Emergency Plan which comes into action once an emergency is declared. In fact, all councils must have plans in place and people trained to be able to deal with emergencies and major incidents.
Cllr Nilgun Canver, cabinet member for enforcement and safer communities, says:
"We just want to reassure people that we are constantly assessing our emergency procedures. Last year our Emergency Planning team trained over 100 staff and elected members to deal with a major incident. Besides this, we have worked with our partners in the police, ambulance and fire services to deliver three training exercises this year.
"As with all London boroughs we are well aware of the terrorism threat but we must also be ready to deal with other incidents such as flooding and fire. We regularly respond to incidents like these which may not make the national news but can cause much distress and upset among residents.
"We ensure that our emergency response officers are fully trained and prepared to make sure they are prepared for their roles, whatever the circumstances."
Such emergencies and major incidents are managed according to the joint emergency procedures of the emergency services, local authorities and other organisations. The council’s Emergency Plan describes how we play our part in the combined response. The council has a key supporting role as soon as an emergency occurs, and leads the important work of helping the community get back to normal.
As well as the Emergency Planning and Business Continuity Team, there are Emergency Response Officers from across the council on call at any time they are needed. They will manage a wide variety of activities the council may need to undertake, for example:
- Provide support and accommodation for the community and help vulnerable people, including supporting evacuated people at Rest Centres
- Use resources to mitigate the effects of an emergency such as sand bags during flooding or support for damaged buildings
- Co-ordinate the response of voluntary groups and schools
- Provide technical support through highways, environmental health and building control
- Ensure the community, media, members and senior officers are kept informed.
Just in the last few weeks these officers have:
- Provided sandbags to protect residents from flooding following the recent torrential rain, and following a water main burst in Alexandra Park
- Co-ordinated the clear-up of sewage on the highway, after flooding caused a sewer to overflow
- Responded to a serious fire at a school.
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