Councils call for Lincolnshire residents to 'Be Ready' for potential grid-down emergencies
Residents across Lincolnshire are being urged to consider whether they would have enough resources to cope in a prolonged ‘power-out’ emergency.
Greater Lincolnshire Combined Council Authority – made up of East Lindsey, Boston, and South Holland district councils - has shared Government advice on what households should be doing to prepare for national emergencies – a move which has received a mixed response from locals.
“A little planning today can help you and your family stay safe, informed and connected when unexpected events occur,” the councils state.
Posting to their social media accounts, a spokesperson for the combined authority explains: “The Government’s new ‘Be Ready’ campaign encourages households to take a few simple steps to help cope if services such as power, water, phones or the internet are disrupted for a short period.
“Check what you already have at home and build up supplies gradually. The campaign recommends being prepared to manage for up to three days if severe weather or other disruption affects everyday services.
“Practical measures include keeping bottled water, non-perishable food, a torch, spare batteries and a charged power bank available, as well as ensuring important contact numbers are easy to access.”
The Government advice points to the potential for “severe weather or cyber attacks” to create future grid-down scenarios.
While some welcomed the local authorities’ encouragement to take a few practical steps to be more self-resilient in the event of a national emergency, many others criticised the councils for sharing central Government’s message – calling it “scaremongering”.
“This is irresponsible,” one resident writes. “Boston council should not be encouraging it.” another adds: “Not good, so many people will be anxious and frightened at wondering what’s coming!” Others asks: “I want to know what exactly the government is 'expecting' to happen.”
However, some residents welcomed the advice, stating: “Most European countries have advised this for years”, while another calls out those criticising the councils for sharing the message, adding: “You do have a choice - you can either read it and get a few items in, or you can ignore it and not bother - pretty simple really.”
You can view the Government’s ‘Be Ready’ checklist here.