Overview of my week
I attended an exercise with colleagues from the Police to test the systems used if our power supplies and routine telecommunications services were disrupted. The excellent scenario described a situation where snow and ice affected these essential services. My colleagues successfully demonstrated how they would remain in contact in these challenging circumstances. This success was due to having a range of communication systems, and using weather information and utilities service status updates to understand the situation.
During this mild weather, you can prepare yourself for any potential disruptions to utilities services. This advice is from our colleagues at UK Power Networks on precautions you can take if there’s an unexpected power cut:
- Join the UK Power Networks Priority Register if you have any medical equipment which relies on electricity
- Have multiple torches and extra batteries
- Keep a plug-in phone that does not require electricity (cordless phones will not work if the battery is dead)
- Keep important documents safe and handy
Click here to find out how the join the UK Power Networks Priority Register, and to see more useful advice.
Weather and Environment
The weather is forecast to be mainly dry, with some drizzle on Saturday evening. It will be increasingly wet on Sunday, with further rain expected on Monday and Tuesday.
For the latest weather forecast, please see the Met Office website for further information.
Give yourself time to prepare if any disruptive weather occurs by signing up for Met Office weather information straight to your mobile device.
Flooding update
There are no flood alerts or warnings in place for the London area.
The Live EA Flood Warnings Map has up-to-date information on river and tidal flooding.
Air quality update
Air pollution levels are forecast to be low across London and the UK.
Health
If you celebrate the festive season with an alcoholic drink, follow the advice to Eat, Drink and Be Safe from London’s Emergency Services. By eating before going out, drinking sensibly and planning ahead for a safe journey home, it’s possible to eliminate many risks associated with alcohol misuse. Here’s some information from the London Ambulance Service about the campaign.
Transport
This week there’s planned part closures on the District and Hammersmith & City lines, and planned part closures on sections of the London Overground. For full details of all Transport for London services, see the TfL website.
See the latest travel advice from London Heathrow and London City Airport.
Security and Counter Terrorism
There are no changes to the threat levels. The threat level from International terrorism is Severe, and Northern Ireland-related terrorism to Great Britain remains at Moderate.
Got anything to add to our update? Let us know @LDN_prepared or Contact us
Susan, London Resilience Officer