Community resilience

All local agencies are fully committed to responding to and supporting our communities in times of an emergency.

However, Emergency Services will always have to prioritise those in the greatest need during an emergency, especially where life is in danger. Similarly, utility companies may struggle to provide services to everybody and may have to divert resources in order to keep crucial buildings, such as hospitals, functioning.

To minimise the impact of such situations on your own household and those around you, the most powerful response is for communities to get together themselves beforehand to produce their own Community Emergency Plans.

If you wish to become involved in a group or would be interested in becoming a community resilience volunteer, then please email community.resilience@surreycc.gov.uk for more information.

What is a community?

There are two types of communities that are associated with community resilience. Communities of place are probably the most commonly thought about, which involves neighbours and people living in a similar geographic location. The other type of communities are those based on commonly held interests, regardless of where they live. These communities of interest come in many forms, from faith groups to sporting clubs, and voluntary organisations.

Could your community cope?

Regardless of the type of community you are part of, the decision to engage in community resilience can be as simple as asking yourself the following three questions:

Are you aware of the risks you and your community might face, eg flooding?
How can you help yourself and those around you during an emergency?
What can you do to get involved in emergency planning in your community?

Many communities already help each other in times of need, but experience shows that those who are prepared cope better during an emergency. This was particularly evident during the severe flooding experienced in the area in 2013/2014 and more recently in 2024. Communities with local knowledge, enthusiasm and information are a great asset, and a Community Emergency Plan can help to ensure that these efforts are channelled in the most effective and efficient way possible.

What is a Community Emergency Plan?

Simple community emergency plans are designed to identify:

a coordination/meeting point (eg village hall)
short-term safe refuge places for people displaced from their home
emergency volunteers
useful emergency equipment
vulnerable people in the community
useful emergency contacts

A template for starting your own community plan can be found on the Surrey County Council website.

Our partners at the Environment Agency have produced a comprehensive guide on creating a

Community Flood Plan

.

By planning in advance, you will not only be better prepared to respond in an emergency, but you will be better equipped to recover in the long-term.

Get involved - Get prepared

Spelthorne Borough Council, along with our partners at the Environment Agency and Surrey County Council, have been working on preparing local communities to cope in times of emergency. We have been liaising with leading members of community groups in the area, providing advice and support on how to create a community plan that best aligns with the efforts of the emergency services and responding agencies. We also hold events to bring community groups together to discuss their plans, with the aim of sharing knowledge and experience.

The benefits of a participatory approach to emergency management

Individuals, businesses and communities benefit from:

greater capacity, motivation and confidence to take positive collective action to prepare, respond and recover from emergencies
quicker and more efficient response and recovery
reduced exposure to social, financial and health impacts from emergencies
stronger relationships with government and responders resulting in mutual trust and influence
stronger sense of community, with greater inclusivity and cohesion

Government and emergency responders benefit from:

improved understanding of communities, their needs and capacities
quicker and more efficient response and recovery
reduced demand on services to meet social, financial and health impacts from emergencies
the ability to prioritise resources to those in greatest need
stronger relationships with communities resulting in mutual trust and influence
better partnering and co-ordination with the full spectrum of volunteers for example from spontaneous volunteers to town and Parish council members

Communities and social media

In the last two decades, social media has emerged as a powerful tool to engage in discussions about public issues. These new platforms provide direct engagement and have helped create new online communities, forums of discussion openly available where individuals can share their concerns, opinions and suggestions. For this reason, we recognise social networks are gradually beginning to have a bigger role in building community and catalysing neighbourhood co-operation and social action.

Social media has a huge impact on community responses to emergencies, before, during and after they happen. Social media networks can help spread important messages about emergencies, particularly at a local level, such as closed roads, areas at risk of flooding, where to go for help and so on. They can also assist in rallying and coordinating community recovery.

A clear example is the Grenfell Fire incident in which community groups and residents came together on social media to organise donations, clothing and toiletries for those affected by the incident and lost everything. It showed how a community can come together in solidarity through utilising social media as a tool to support their community.

Volunteering during an emergency

If you are interested in setting up a community group, or already have arrangements in place and would like to know more, please contact us and you will be placed on the mailing list for important news and events.

Similarly, please do not hesitate to contact us If you have any questions about community preparedness, or would like to meet with one of the team directly to discuss potential or existing plans.

It is difficult to involve 'spontaneous' volunteers in the midst of an emergency. Please do not travel until you know there is something you can help with, as during an emergency agencies / organisations will be out responding to issues on the ground and there might not be something that you can help with. You may want to offer your skills/ experience to an existing voluntary organisation, however please do contact them in advance of your arrival to ensure you can contribute to the effort in an effective way. While it might be frustrating, there are things to consider, such as insurance if things go wrong, vulnerable residents and ensuring efforts are coordinated to be most effective.

We encourage local residents to find community resilience groups in their area before a flood, and explore how they may be able to get involved in supporting these groups.

For information on how to link to formal groups in your area, please contact info@appliedresilience.org

Surrey Prepared community helpline: Telephone: 0300 200 1008 (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays.

IMPORTANT: It will not be possible to answer such enquiries during an incident.