CRISIS MANAGEMENT DURING EXTREME WINTER WEATHER EVENTS

摘要

Over the last six years the UK has experienced some unusually extreme weather events.rnMany lessons have been learned from these, the key aspects being the planning/rnpreparation in advance, coordination of the response and command escalation.rnThe Highways Agency is responsible for the operation, maintenance and improvement ofrnthe motorways and major roads in England. The resilience of the strategic road network itrnmanages is critical to the economy of the nation. In response to the increased incidencernand severity of extreme weather events and the need to respond to them more effectivelyrnwe have developed a Crisis Management Manual. This sets out key pre-planning stepsrnand different levels of escalation to be adopted depending on the seriousness of the likelyrnimpact of an incident.rnThe stages of escalation start at ‘routine operations’. This is the business as usual levelrnsuch as treating roads with salt to prevent ice formation. The next level is ‘Regional Alert’rnwhich is used when there is the possibility of significant disruption due to heavy snow,rnstrong winds or flooding. This level raises the state of readiness and makes sure that allrnour resources and suppliers are as prepared as possible, fully coordinated and that allrncommunication lines are at a heightened state of readiness.rnWhen an incident is in progress and requires a higher level of command it would bernescalated to ‘Regional Crisis’. There is an understanding across the organisation as tornwhat this means and the process to ensure as swift a resolution as possible. If a numberrnof regions are affected at the same time, or could become so, then consideration would berngiven to escalating to ‘National Alert’ level. This facilitates a national overview and thernsetting of a national strategy leaving the local teams to deal tactically with the issues inrntheir regions. There is then the full ‘National Crisis’ level when central government itselfrnwould be fully engaged. Since we have had the manual we have not had one but anrnexample could be something on the scale of ‘Hurricane Sandy’.