In brief: The Jersey Resilience Forum is preparing to launch a Jersey Risk Register and Household Emergency Plan, giving islanders practical guidance on preparing for emergencies such as severe weather and power outages. The move follows the UK government’s own “Be Ready” campaign and comes in the wake of a Channel Islands cyber security conference highlighting growing digital threats.
Jersey Gets Its Own Emergency Preparedness Plan
If you have ever wondered what to do when the lights go out and the wind is rattling the shutters, help is on the way. The Jersey Resilience Forum is set to publish a dedicated Jersey Risk Register and Household Emergency Plan, the Jersey Evening Post reports, giving islanders locally tailored advice on how to prepare for disruptions ranging from severe weather to power outages.
A government spokesperson confirmed the Forum “will soon be launching the Jersey Risk Register and Household Emergency Plan”, describing it as providing “practical advice on the risks that could affect the Island and simple steps they can take to be prepared.” The plan, the spokesperson said, “has been developed specifically for Jersey and designed to help people feel informed and confident, not alarmed.”
The Jersey Resilience Forum is a multi-agency body established to aid planning and co-ordination between emergency responders. It held its first meeting in 2021 and brings together agencies responsible for emergency preparation, response and recovery across the Island.
Following the UK’s Lead, With a Jersey Twist
The announcement comes shortly after the UK government launched its own “Be Ready” campaign, which encourages households to take straightforward precautions: keeping a small supply of non-perishable food and bottled water, and signing up to the Priority Services Register. The PSR helps gas, water and electricity companies identify customers who may need extra support during an emergency.
Jersey’s plan is being developed as a local version of this thinking rather than a simple copy-and-paste of the UK approach. The government spokesperson emphasised that it would provide “clear, local information to help households prepare for disruptions such as severe weather, power outages and other emergencies.” For an island that depends on undersea cables for its electricity and ferry links for its supply chains, the specific vulnerabilities facing Jersey are rather different from those facing, say, a household in the English Midlands.
Cyber Threats Add Another Layer of Concern
The timing of the announcement is notable for another reason. It follows the most recent Channel Islands Cyber Security Conference, organised by the Channel Islands Information Security Forum, at which the scale of digital threats facing the Island and their potential impact were discussed. While the Household Emergency Plan appears focused on physical disruptions, the proximity of the two events is a reminder that modern emergencies do not always arrive in the form of a storm or a power cut. A serious cyber incident affecting critical infrastructure could produce many of the same practical consequences for ordinary households.
No date has been given for the formal launch of the Risk Register and Household Emergency Plan, but the government spokesperson’s use of “soon” suggests islanders should not have long to wait.
Source: Jersey Evening Post
