In an emergency, useful information tells you what has happened, which places are affected, when the update was issued and what action is being asked of you. Prepare a short list of official sources for the places you live and visit. Having the right pages and numbers ready saves time when messages are being forwarded quickly and you need to decide which ones apply to you.
Start with the organisation responsible for the incident
For an immediate threat, follow instructions from emergency services and local authorities. For weather, consult the Met Office. For flooding, use the official service for your UK nation. A transport operator can confirm whether its service is running, while a power network operator can confirm what it knows about an outage. Use each source for the question it is responsible for answering.
Save the official local authority page for your full address. If you travel regularly across a boundary, save the relevant sources for destinations you depend on as well. During a disruption, you may need both the instructions for an affected area and an update about a route passing through it. Give people the name of the place covered by a notice when you pass it on.
Understand UK Emergency Alerts
The UK Emergency Alerts service can send warnings and instructions to compatible phones and tablets in an area where there is a danger to life. If an alert arrives, read it and follow the directions for the location it describes. The GOV.UK Emergency Alerts page provides information about the system and access to published alerts. A household plan can include the address of this page.
Keep another way to receive information if a device is switched off, has no signal or cannot receive the message. A second method may be especially useful for a person who is travelling, uses assistive technology or cannot easily read an alert. Agree who will pass on relevant official updates and how they will do it. Check that messages are understood before assuming everyone knows what action is required.
Check the time and location before sharing
Look for the original notice and the time it was issued. A screenshot may show a real warning from an earlier day or a different location. Check the affected place on the official notice and look for any change to the instructions. This matters when two places have similar names or an update refers to a specific stretch of road, warning area or building.
If you share an update, include a link to the original and identify the relevant location in your message. Keep it short enough that the important part is easy to see. If you know an update has been replaced, share the newer official information. If you cannot confirm a claim, pause before forwarding it and check the responsible source.
Protect your information when messages arrive
If a message asks for a payment, an account login or personal details, open the official site separately using an address you already trust. Confirm that the request is genuine through a published number or page. The UK government explains how its Emergency Alerts service works and how to report suspicious messages. Use the official page to check an alert rather than relying on a forwarded link.
Households can agree what information to include in a check-in, such as a general location, whether help is needed and when another update will follow. Share details only with people who need them. Avoid posting someone's home address or care needs publicly while looking for assistance. If immediate help is needed, contact the emergency services directly.
Plan for when your usual channels stop working
Save a paper copy of key contacts and make sure your household can find it. Write down the council and provider details that apply to your address. Keep a backup power supply for a phone if your household can use one, and consider a battery-powered radio for official broadcasts when internet access is interrupted. A paper plan can also make it easier for people to coordinate if their devices have run out of power.
If you rely on a digital landline, telecare or an accessible communication service, ask the provider how to get information or assistance during a power interruption. Agree a backup with anyone who relies on you for updates. Check how you will confirm that they have received an instruction and have a way to act on it.
Recheck before changing plans
Warnings and closures can change as an incident develops. Check the current official notice again before travelling, returning to a building or passing instructions to someone else. If you are responsible for a child, a person in a care setting or a shared property, ask the relevant organisation what it is telling people to do. Follow any instruction issued specifically for your location.
Review your source list when you move, change your regular journey or begin caring for someone in a different area. Replace links that have moved and remove numbers you no longer use. A short list is easier to keep current than a long collection of bookmarks. When someone is in immediate danger, call 999.