Help in a crisis can come from unexpected places - this heatwave, keep an eye out for your neighbours

This weekend's Amber extreme heat warning brings a range of advice, from health to travel to open-water swimming. All of it common sense and everyday - but what about more extreme scenarios?

People in the UK recognise that we are living in a more uncertain world and want to know what to do in an emergency. When the Middle East conflict escalated earlier this year, demand for emergency response advice on the British Red Cross website rose by 820%. People want to be informed, but preparing for a disaster should not feel like something they have to do alone.

We know from experience that resilience is not abstract. In recent years, the UK has faced different emergencies, from severe floods to COVID. These crises have proved that resilience needs to be practical, local and human - built not just by institutions, but by individuals, families, neighbours and communities.

But communities cannot become resilient unless they are consulted and involved in the plans that affect them.

Neighbours are often the first to respond before emergency services arrive. This is why people need access to clear, practical information to help them prepare for, respond to and act during a crisis. Their voices must shape how resilience is defined, funded and delivered.

Trust is central to this. Governments, emergency services and local authorities must build it through open communication – listening to communities and showing that their input leads to real change.

Voluntary organisations like the British Red Cross play a key role in establishing trust. We are powered by 10,000 volunteers in the UK, who live in the communities they are here to serve - teaching first aid and helping people after fires, floods and power cuts.

We hear the same message time and again: people want to take action to protect their families, homes and neighbourhoods. When given the opportunity to engage with emergency planning, they bring valuable insight and step up.

In London, for example, we’re working with 20 community groups, from food banks to residents’ associations and local shops, to help areas get ready to respond to a range of crises.  One community leader told us they respond to emergencies of some kind every day, from road accidents to heatwaves and power cuts. In a crisis, we all have a role to play to ensure nobody is left behind.

In an emergency, these local networks will be indispensable. During a wildfire, flood, or mass power outage, how will emergency services know who is most vulnerable on a street or in a tower block? It will be residents’ associations who know, or the local church, mosque , or charity group. This is why they need timely, trusted, practical advice. When communities are equipped in this way, the whole system becomes stronger.

These conversations do more than prepare neighbourhoods. They strengthen our national resilience by connecting councils, emergency responders and communities, while ensuring people get the help they actually need.

This week, we welcomed leaders from Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and governments from across Europe to share lessons from crises, including the conflict in Ukraine, wildfires in Greece and mass power outages in Spain. These experiences will strengthen and shape how we respond here in the UK.

We can’t control when emergencies happen but we, as communities and as a country, can control the steps we take beforehand to be ready – and that can make all the difference.    

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Béatrice Butsana-Sita is chief executive of the British Red Cross

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