Merseyside Prepared

Emergency Friends

It may be useful to identify an ‘Emergency Friend’ or someone you can trust to help you in an emergency.  Emergency Friends can help each other if one of their homes or members of family have been affected by an emergency by:

• swapping house keys – you may lock yourself out or your pet may need feeding if you get stranded away from home;
• if you are suffering from an infectious disease, such as flu, the NHS may ask for you to send someone to collect your medication;
• providing each other with a place to stay if you are ever evacuated from your home or if its been affected during an emergency, ie. flood, utility failure or fire;
• be an emergency point of contact for family members who may become separated during an emergency;
• keep copies of important documents safe for each other.

Talk and agree how you can help each other in the event of an emergency. Ensure all your immediate family know who your Emergency Friends are and make a note of their names and contact details in your Household Emergency Plan.

Being a Good Neighbour

Some of your neighbours may be more vulnerable than others, especially in the event of an emergency, so it would be helpful to get to know your neighbours beforehand. Helping your friends and neighbours is important and can save lives – just checking that someone is well or calling to have a chat may help them.