Emergencies usually strike without warning and can mean the loss of basic services such as water, power, gas and telecommunications. In some cases it might mean evacuation of your home, or even your neighbourhood, this might cause difficulties in communicating with your loved ones.
The official advice in an emergency is to "Go in, Stay in and Tune in". The emergency services will notify you if you are required to evacuate.
This means that if it appears safe to do, go to your house or other safe building, stay there until further notice and listen to updates on the radio.
In an emergency, the authorities dealing with the emergency will broadcast safety information on local radio. Below is a list of radio stations that you could tune into or click to follow the link to their web site:
- BBC Radio Manchester 95.1 FM
- Key 103 Manchester 103 FM
- Planet Radio - Manchester news
- Heart 105.4 FM
- Manchester Evening News
If there is an emergency incident at your children's school and they need to evacuate, listen to your local radio for announcements and information.
Try to remain calm and in control, keep your family together wherever possible and try to focus on practical things you can do. If possible, take it in turns for adults to listen to/watch the media to prevent unnecessary distress and anxiety.
The initial main concern of the emergency services and the Council must be for those directly involved in any major incident or disaster. Concern also extends to relatives and friends of casualties.
It is vital that those responding to the incident are allowed to complete their task quickly and safely, with priority given to rescue operations to minimise casualties and preserve emergency communications.
If you do have important information or feel that a relative or friend may be involved in the incident, listen for details of a specific telephone number which will be set up to provide information on the incident and contact numbers for those requiring further details.
The initial response to major incidents is usually co-ordinated by the police and other emergency services, and the longer-term recovery plan generally by the council. Bury Council is prepared to readily respond to all stages to ensure response and restoration of services.