13% have no guidance on what to do in an emergency

Sandbags

The public is unprepared and unsure about what to do in the event of a major incident such as a flood, riot or cyber crime, according to a report commissioned by Zurich.

Two-thirds (64%) of the 1,000 plus adults in Great Britain questioned in the Ipsos MORI survey said they weren’t well-informed about what action to take in the event of such an incident in their local area.

The research, which was conducted as part of Zurich’s Risk and Response report and will be published next month, found that three quarters (76%) of public sector leaders believe their local communities would be resilient in a major emergency, with the necessary resources and knowledge needed to help themselves.

Yet just 13% of the public said they haven’t seen any guidance from their local council on what to do in an emergency, suggesting a lack of effective communication between local authorities and the communities they serve.

But almost three quarters (74%) of the general public said they would be personally responsible for getting involved in helping their local area return to normal should a major incident strike their community. And 69% are confident in the ability of their local community to respond effectively to a major incident.

Zurich Municipal managing director Anne Torry said: “Today’s public service providers have to prepare for a plethora of major incidents, which are becoming more varied in nature. At the same time, austerity is having a serious impact on much of the public sector, meaning it will be more challenging to recover from major incidents like flooding, civil unrest or cyber crime in the future.

“So, there will be a greater onus on the public to help their communities recover after an incident – last year’s community clean-up in the aftermath of the riots is just one example.”

Zurich Municipal suggested the following action plan:

  • Providing regular newsletters, allowing an organisation to inform the community about the information they can expect after an event and how they can access it
  • Utilising all types of modern media sources, meaning information can be delivered instantly to the community, which can be crucial in the recovery phase
  • Post event, the objective should be to ensure that information is delivered to widest possible audience, as quickly as possible

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