1 January 2023
UK Emergency Alerts system tested across the UK in 2023
The UK Government has tested the Emergency Alerts system across the UK, in 2023 and again in the summer of 2025, with every message clearly labelled as a test.
UK Preparedness news
We cover news from public bodies and utility companies for UK households on power cuts, weather, water, health, safety and security. Each report includes the date and sources, with links to our guides.
January 2023
1 January 2023
Department for Education rolls out 21,000 defibrillators to 17,000 schools in England
The Department for Education rolled out 21,000 defibrillators to 17,000 schools in England in January 2023, part of a £19 million programme announced in July 2022.
December 2022
1 December 2022
Cross-government response to prolonged extreme cold and major water outages
The Cabinet Office has reported that between December 2022 and January 2023 the government stood up cross-government responses to prolonged extreme cold and to major water outages caused by…
1 December 2022
UK Government Resilience Framework published
The UK Government Resilience Framework, published in December 2022, set out that a shared understanding of risk must underpin preparation and recovery, a principle carried into the 2023 National Risk…
October 2022
3 October 2022
Met Office launches winter WeatherReady campaign
The Met Office launched its winter WeatherReady campaign on 3 October 2022, publishing YouGov survey findings on how people in the UK prepare for severe winter weather and its effect on mental health.
September 2022
1 September 2022
Cabinet Office reorganises resilience functions into two units
The Cabinet Office split its resilience work into two units in September 2022, one for preparedness and risk reduction and one for crisis response, according to an official explainer of UK resilience…
July 2022
28 July 2022
Drought public health advice first published
The UK Health Security Agency first published its public health advice on drought for England on 28 July 2022, covering dehydration, hygiene, mental health and water supply during dry periods.
19 July 2022
Major incident declared by North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service declared a major incident on Tuesday 19 July 2022 and stood it down the same day, after taking 172 emergency calls and attending 57 incidents.
19 July 2022
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service declares major incident during heatwave
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service declared a major incident on Tuesday 19 July 2022 after a surge in fires in the open during extreme heat, the first such declaration in decades.
April 2022
6 April 2022
SCAS declares critical incident due to extreme pressures
South Central Ambulance Service declared a critical incident in the early hours of 6 April 2022 because of extreme pressures, and stood the status down the following day.
January 2022
20 January 2022
West Yorkshire partnerships launch 'Let's Keep West Yorkshire Going' campaign
West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership and West Yorkshire Prepared launched a campaign on 20 January 2022 asking people to get vaccinated, wear a face covering and work from home if they can.