Coleford has its own Resilience Plan, managed by the Town
Council, where local volunteers help to address incidents at a basic level,
linked into the Forest of Dean District Council and Gloucestershire County
Council networks as necessary.
Local people have local knowledge which can be invaluable at
times of emergency: knowing the back route to get to somewhere, the point up
the bridge when the warning about potential for flooding needs communicating
are instances which make a difference when incorporated into the network.
If transport and routes are constrained, then local
resources need to be linked to residents, so with the Covid pandemic in the
first three months, over 150 actions meant people delivered prescriptions,
shopping, people walked dogs and so on.
Some links simply become good friends: our butty system
meant specific people were linked with one helper who knew what was wanted from
the type of cornflakes, to the need for more help obtained through the Council
office in the first place, and through District /County as required. The
relationship was easily as important as the goods.
This Plan (or a part of it) is brought into effect when
needed and stood down later. Risk is
assessed: no-one is expected to undertake any task for which Emergency Services
are trained.
The Plan can cover different sorts of emergency, but
focusses around co-ordination, people out and about and welfare actions. Many
of our volunteers feel they gain new skills, are part of a team with purpose
and get to know their patch and their community in a completely new way.
If you would like to know more, volunteer, contact us….
The Flood Online Reporting Tool (FORT) has been developed by
Gloucestershire County Council as a means for any resident to report current
flooding events, and events from within the last 5 years, that have impacted
their property.
Use this tool to report information such as what exactly has
flooded, how long the flood lasted, and where the flood water has come from,
for example.
Reporting this information is important to ensure the County
Council can build an accurate picture of flooding in the county, identify
vulnerable locations, and inform long term flood risk management.
Please note:
This is NOT an emergency reporting tool - if there is danger to
life, call 999 immediately
Do NOT report flooding via FORT that has only affected roads -
use FixMyStreet (see below) to report highway flooding
The EA are responsible for issuing flood alerts and warnings
for river, sea, and groundwater flooding. It's vital that you check your flood risk, and sign up to
receive warnings in the relevant locations.
It's important to know what each warning means for you. The
above image provides a quick overview of what to do at each warning level,
but please read each warning you receive in detail and adhere to any advice
and guidance provided.
It's important to feedback to the EA on the accuracy of their
flood warnings. You can do so by clicking 'Give feedback on this flood
warning information' at the bottom of each warning page.
Resilience - Flood WarningsResilience - National Flood Forum
National Flood Forum
The
National Flood Forum (NFF) are a charity that can offer independent advice and
support to anyone who is at risk of experiencing, or is currently experiencing,
a flood event regarding insurance, property flood resilience, preparedness, and
more.
They provide specialist
flood recovery services, information and advice from their own team and
signposting to external providers, and also support communities who have been
impacted by flooding.
As
the we head into the winter, it's important for communities to understand the
impact the cold weather might have on them.
The
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) highlight those who are particularly at risk
during the cold weather, including people older people, people with long-term
health conditions, and those who have low or no mobility.
Click on the UKHSA's poster
above to see 12 simple steps to take to stay warm and well during the winter
months.
The
Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 states that certain people have a priority need
for housing if they are threatened with homelessness. This includes people made
homeless due to fire, flood, or another emergency. It's vital you call your
local council's housing team through the council's emergency line should you
find yourself homeless due to a flood out of hours:
