January-March 2020
The Devon Community Resilience Forum made six presentations to parish councils on how to formulate a local emergency plan. Such presentations are often followed by a public event to engage residents in the process.
In February the team held an event in East Budleigh which was organised by the local plan co-ordinator and supported by the Environment Agency, Devon County Council and the Devon Beaver project. It was noted that during the event there was a significant shift in the age profile of those attending later in the session as younger members of the community and their families came along.
The event revealed that there were a number of residents with professional skills and knowledge who were prepared to contribute to help prepare and deliver a plan. The day ended with more than twenty expressions of interest in helping to develop the emergency plan; but no one could have foreseen how quickly those voluntary resources would be called upon.
Impact
Through the presentations and public events, the Devon Community Resilience Forum team are succeeding in helping communities recognise their existing assets and galvanise their energy for creating community emergency plans, which will prove to be invaluable during the covid-19 pandemic and beyond