Havant Borough Council has a wealth of expertise which is used daily to deliver the 'normal' range of services expected by the public.

In an emergency, key specialists are called together to collate information and identify any assistance/resources that may be required to endeavour to provide an effective response to an incident.

A liaison officer is sent to the scene to liaise with the emergency services and if required the Emergency Control Centre (ECC). An ECC is a command-and-control centre based at the Public Plaza, Havant, the main function of the ECC is to collate, analysis and share information, make decisions on any supporting resource needs and requests, co-ordinate the work of the various council departments, services, liaise with multi-agencies via a set of standardised meetings to coordinate an appropriate multi-agency response.

HBC Emergency Planning team in coordination with our colleagues at Hampshire County Council who may have to open a prepared Rest Centre for those who have no-where to go if they have been evacuated from their homes and will provide a telephone helpline that may be staffed around the clock. These are all services that only local authorities can provide.

Recovery phase

After the event we liaise with various services to arrange clean-up crews, waste removal teams and signpost those requiring support and assistance after such a difficult and traumatic experience. During this 'Recovery' phase the local authority tends to take the lead and aims to assist the return to normality as quickly as is reasonably practicable, working closely with local communities, our partners in Hampshire County Council, the NHS, and other voluntary sectors.

Throughout the year there is an extensive ongoing programme of training and exercises for emergency preparedness, with different groups of partners involved, and different scenarios tested.