Everyday Resilience

Last week I received what felt like the fifth flood alert text message. In the months gone by I would receive the occasional alert  brush it off and get on with my day. This time I thought to myself, what have I actually done to prepare if the worst was to happen. I have my insurance documents in order, I have bottled water and some food to last the family a few days but other than that nothing. It got me thinking about what else I can do, but it's not just me. Does my family know what to do? Do they know where to switch off the gas and electricity? Do my neighbours? Does my extended family? Resilience goes beyond your own household and extends to your local community. If they fail, who will they turn to?  Community resilience is the gold standard to ensuring true preparedness and I hope by extending my reach I can prompt others to think about their homes, family and local community to prepare. Below is my take on what we should be doing to be best prepared for flooding, but d...

  I understand the frustration and the feeling of being overwhelmed with being prepared. I understand because I am still there. This is a journey for me as much as it is for you. As mentioned in previous articles preparedness is unique to you and your personal and family circumstances. What is important to you might not being as high of a priority for someone else.  However, the fundamentals, the foundations, are that we all require the same basic needs - Water, Food, Warmth and Shelter. This comes from Maslows  hierarchy of needs, a well known and accepted theory depicting the psychological needs of Humans. I think it would be safe to assume that if you are reading this then you have probably satisfied the foundations of the pyramid, and now you want to make sure you can maintain these needs in cases of emergency. Where to start? Financial wellbeing - You can't prepare for emergencies if you can't afford to pay the bills and put food on the table. As we all know financi...

 Like many of you I have had conversations with my wife about what is our plan if 'this' was to happen or where would we go if that happened. These talks would last all of about five minutes before one of us gets distracted by something that needs doing or one of the kids comes in demanding a snack. Also like many of you I have some equipment and stocks to utilise in the event of an emergency.  I cant help but think I have all the gear (not quite) but no idea. What will we do? What will we need? Where will we go? At what point do we decide now is the time leave? These are all valid questions and while we make attempts at answering them, we wouldn't be able to remember what course of action we agreed. There are so many variables in my family that It cannot be left to chance or luck. Your family dynamic will be unique to you so there is no one size fits all plan. However, we can share ideas and we can find templates to start us off. Within each county there is something calle...

War on the continent, US carrier strike group off Venezuela, Chinas claim to Taiwan, a few but pertinent reasons to be concerned about global stability. Add in local concerns around immigration, farming, healthcare, the economy and defence, you cant help but look at the future and be concerned about what lies ahead. While I cannot change the political landscape bar my right to vote, I can prepare my family for events that may impact us directly, and with that I can support my community. Beyond the local community we are looking at national preparedness. The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (CCA) makes provision about civil contingencies. It replaced the Civil Defence Act 1948 (Northern Ireland 1950). The CCA defines the obligations of certain organisations to prepare for different types of emergencies and provides additional powers for the government to use in the event of a large scale emergency. In short this puts into legislation that organisations must prepare for, respond to and recov...

Flu season is well under way and reports suggest cases are surging across the UK, hospital admissions are up and some schools are having to take measures to stop the spread.  In England, influenza-attributable excess mortality was estimated at 7,757 deaths in the 2024-2025 season. This was higher than the 2023 season but less than the 2022 season.  Time will tell what the figures will be this year. So what can you do to fight this seasonal battle. Have your seasonal flu vaccine Its not too late to have your jab. The flu vaccine is recommended for people at higher risk of getting seriously ill from flu. You are eligible for a free NHS vaccine if you; are aged 65 or over (including those who will be 65 by 31 March 2026) have certain long-term health conditions are pregnant live in a care home are the main carer for an older or disabled person, or receive a carer's allowance live with someone who has a weakened immune system You can go to  https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/flu...

First aid, is this a lost skill in the UK? According to research last year almost half of us would feel panicked if we came across a health emergency. According to St John Ambulance more than a 1/4 of people surveyed said they had never learned first aid. Alarmingly, only 4 in 10 know the first aid skills to save someone from a catastrophic bleed, cardiac arrest or choking. All time critical injuries and illnesses will eventually lead to a cardiac arrest, and did you know fewer than 1 in 12 survive to 30 days after a out of hospital cardiac arrest.   This needs to change.  This article is not designed to make turn you into a Doctor, Nurse or Paramedic but simply to guide you towards a more prepared citizen, friend and family member, the statistics above show we owe it to ourselves. So what can you do about it. Knowledge is King as they say. We can all go out and buy the first aid kits but without knowing what each piece of equipment is for your help will be limited. ...