Wexford Prepares for the Unexpected Community Groups and Clubs collaborate with Emergency Services to deliver Resilience Plan

A unique guide designed to help individuals and community groups prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies in their local areas was launched this morning Monday 11 February by Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council, Councillor Keith Doyle.

Preparing for the Unexpected is a written guide to help you prepare for emergencies such as severe weather events. The guide will not replace the emergency services – rather it will support you and your families, helping you in making sensible preparations now so that you can be more self-sufficient during an emergency.

Wexford’s emergency services, including Wexford County Council, an Garda Siochána, the HSE and Civil Defence will always respond to significant emergency events. However, the management of more severe emergencies, such as experienced during Storm Ophelia and Storm Emma will require a whole of community response. Community groups can facilitate this effort by supporting community preparedness and encouraging households to have a plan to deal with such emergencies and to recognise that simple activities and preparations can make a big difference.

Preparing for the Unexpected is a joint initiative of Wexford Emergency Services, including Wexford County Council, the HSE, an Garda Siochána, National Ambulance Service, Order of Malta, Red Cross, Wexford Civil Defence and Wexford PPN (Public Participation Network) in partnership with Wexford GAA, Wexford IFA, Society of Vincent De Paul, Muinitir na Tíre, Wexford Marine Watch and Meals on Wheels. The document is based around the concept of enabling well-established clubs and groups to work with their members and wider community to prepare effectively for emergency weather events that may occur in their locality.

In addition to helping their local community prepare for such emergencies, these groups and clubs have also agreed to assist the Emergency Services during the response to the event by assisting in the provision of emergency food, water or heating supplies, transport, basic medical assistance, or simply some help to those affected by the emergency event.

The Preparing for the Unexpected one-page guide will be delivered to every home and business in County Wexford within the next two weeks. All households are urged to read the document carefully, to note the contents, to make the recommended preparations and to store this useful guide in a safe place for reference during any period of sustained severe weather.

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