THREE caravan parks on the Lincolnshire coast will be evacuated in April, as part of an exercise to test emergency plans.
Exercise Towbar, taking place on 17 April 2013, will see people being evacuated from the Sutton Springs and Seacroft Parks in Sutton on Sea. Coastfields in Ingoldmells will also be taking part in a table-top test.
The emergency services will work alongside the caravan parks to test their flood plans to ensure they are robust and would work in a real flooding situation.
The exercise will have two elements – the live evacuation and a table-top exercise taking place at Theddlethorpe Village Hall.
The government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has provided funding to support the exercise, which will be led by the Lincolnshire Joint Emergency Management Service, including: Lincolnshire County Council, East Midlands Ambulance Service, Environment Agency, Lincolnshire Police, Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue and East Lindsey District Council. The British Red Cross will also provide support.
The planned exercise will ensure the production of a successful evacuation template plan for other caravan sites to use whilst testing how emergency services and site owners would respond to the incidents.
Head of Emergency Planning at Lincolnshire County Council, David Powell, said:
"We have been working hard for a number of years to ensure the community is well prepared for coastal flooding. Businesses, in particular caravan sites, also need to be prepared with their own flood evacuation plan in place. They need to know what to do should they receive a call saying flooding is likely.
"We would like to thank local residents and businesses for getting involved in this exercise."
Each year, a campaign entitled 'We're prepared for flooding in Lincolnshire – are you?' takes place along the coast. It highlights the risks of coastal flooding and the need for local people and businesses to be prepared.
The key messages of the campaign are:
Make a plan: families and businesses need a flood plan.
Make a call: contact Floodline on 0845 988 1188.
A template flood plan and information on coastal flooding is available via www.lincolnshireprepared.co.uk
↧