Working together for a resilient Birmingham.

Check traffic and travel info before you set off

Update as at 0900hrs, Sunday 5th February

Council gritters were out late last night and again this morning. BCC Control advise main routes have been treated with salt. The Met Office update highlights the risk of ice on roads and pavements posing a risk to motorists and pedestrians.

The advice remains the same; if you are planning on going out and about listen to local radio and check traffic/travel websites before you set off. As ever the advice is “Be prepared”.

Update as at 1450hrs

Council winter maintenance action is in full swing and the gritters have been out looking after main roads and priority routes. If you’re planning on going out and about this afternoon or evening the advice is to listen to local radio and check traffic/travel websites:

www.centro.org.uk/bus/services.aspx

www.nxbus.co.uk/west-midlands/information/service-alerts

www.nationalrail.co.uk/service-disruptions

www.traffic-update.co.uk/traffic/birmingham.asp

Stay Warm and Stay Safe

The Met Office forecast is for cold weather and snow over the weekend (Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 February 2012), visit our pages on snow and low temperatures for information and advice on winter weather.

Birmingham Resilience Team have produced a number of advice articles related to winter weather:

Community Resilience Focus Group takes place at the Council House

Initiatives discussed included the development of a portable ‘Z-Card’, which people can carry and will provide crucial information on being prepared for emergencies, and also to allow people to indicate information about themselves that may prove invaluable to the emergency services should they find it and are unable to communicate with the card-holder (for example details of medications taken / medical conditions).

The group also agreed to input into vital resilience activity around the ongoing development of the Birminghamprepared Website, and forthcoming Resilience film which is being produced for the benefit of Birmingham’s many and diverse communities.

The Focus Group proved to be extremely useful, and a range of innovative suggestions and amendments to the developments of these products were agreed, which will ensure that individuals and communities derive the maximum benefit.

More details on the ongoing development of the above mentioned products will be detailed on this website and other mediums in due course.

Cold Weather Alert – Level 3

The Met Office have issued a Level 3 Cold Weather Alert which indicates that there is a 100% probability of severe cold weather up until 10.00 am on Sunday 5th February 2012 that is likely to affect parts of England, including the West Midlands. For more details follow the attached link to the Met Office Website http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/coldweatheralert/ and http://www.birminghamprepared.gov.uk/advice/specific-risks/snow-and-low-temperatures/  for helpful advice during snow and low temperatures.

The cold weather health watch comprises four levels of response based on cold weather thresholds. The thresholds have been developed to trigger an alert when severe cold weather is likely to significantly affect people’s health. The alerts take account of temperature along with other winter weather threats such as ice and snow.

Carers Emergency Response Service – Offering back-up support to carers

Cheryl Jones, CERS Outreach Manager has provided the following information which we would ask carers to read – this is an invaluable service that could be very beneficial for planning your care arrangements.

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