Be prepared
Scotland faces a range of threats and hazards - from severe weather, to terrorist incidents, disease outbreaks and utility failures.
One of the seven main duties placed on Category 1 responders is the duty to communicate with the public. The mandatory requirements under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 are to arrange for the publication of risk assessments where publication is necessary or desirable to:
- Prevent an emergency
- Reduce, control or minimise the effects of an emergency
- Enable action to be taken in connection with an emergency
These threats and hazards are listed in the Community Risk Register.
Weather
Severe weather can disrupt our daily lives.
For the latest information on the weather forecast and any weather warnings, visit the Met Office website. Advice on how to prepare for and what to do in severe weather can also be found in the Met Office's weather warnings guide and from Ready Scotland.
We also have a range of information on our own website, including on winter weather and flooding and storms.
If you can, it is best to avoid travelling in severe weather. However, if you have to, please visit Ready Scotland for advice on being prepared and stay informed of live travel information from Traffic Scotland for trunk roads, and local radio and media for information on any local road closures.
Please note we are only able to provide information on local road disruption when our Emergency Control Room is in operation.
If you need to use public transport in adverse weather, please check with the individual operator for updates.
Severe weather can also cause disruption to utility providers. Ready Scotland provides advice to make sure you are prepared for the loss of power.
You can get advice and support on how to report and deal with power cuts from SP Energy Networks.
SGN provides help and advice in relation to gas supply and disruption
Resilient Communities
A large number of community councils, local groups and individuals have come together to form a network of Resilient Community groups across the Scottish Borders, supported by our Emergency Planning team.
You can find our more about our Resilient Communities initiative on our website.
Stay Informed
SB Alert is an online, secure, two-way community messaging system used by partners and ourselves to alert local residents and businesses to:
- Crime and community safety information
- Crime prevention advice
- Weather warnings
Join SB Alert to receive free information relevant to the area where you live or work in the Scottish Borders, straight to your inbox or phone.
More information can be found on our website.
Prevent
The Prevent strategy, published by the UK Government in 2011, is part of the overall counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST.
The aim of the Prevent strategy is to reduce the threat to the UK from terrorism by stopping people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.
If you are worried that someone you know might be at risk of getting involved in terrorism, don’t rely on others to report it.
Please report any concerns you have about anyone, adult or child, who you think may be vulnerable to being drawn into extremism as support is available to them. You can help us prevent terrorism and save lives.
More information on our role and how to report concerns can be found online.