Red Cross Blogs

How would Britain cope with an earthquake?

By Alix Miller
September 28, 2010 at 3:50 pm

Unlike poor Pakistan and Haiti, the locations of the world’s biggest recent disasters, our lives are pretty safe in Britain, by comparison.

Our extremes of weather and natural disasters pale when compared to those of many less fortunate countries around the world, whose inhabitants tend to be much less able to cope when these extreme events  strike.

Luckily, the Red Cross is well practised in emergency response both in the UK and overseas, and helps countless people in crisis each year.

It was shocking to read in newspapers recently however, that normally relatively cosy Britain, is at risk of being hit by a devastating earthquake, according to a leading geologist. ‘This may happen in London – and we’re not ready’, screamed the Independent headline about it. It was an interesting point.

While the Red Cross is not in the business of predicting whether such a disaster would be likely, we are concerned with the UK’s ability to respond effectively in any emergency. That’s why we recently commissioned a report exploring the legal and operational implications for the UK, should a large-scale event happen and we needed help in the shape of international relief from abroad.

One recommendation the report makes is for the government to clarify the different roles of various departments should major disaster strike. While the Cabinet Office would arguably take the lead, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office might also be involved through our network of embassies and consulates abroad.

The key to a coordinated, smooth response is preparation. And that’s where fake earthquakes can also come in handy.

Image © Alessandra di Meo/Italian Red Cross

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Tags: disaster, disaster response, Emergencies, emergency response, Haiti, Haiti earthquake, International, Pakistan, UK

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 28th, 2010 at 3:50 pm and is filed under Emergencies, International, UK. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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