In response to an emergency there may be times where individuals and families are forced to leave their homes for a period of time. In recent times this has often been in the response to flooding, although it may be necessary to evacuate a home for a variety of reasons including fire, police investigations, or loss of power.
If convenient and practicable, the best response to this situation would be to stay temporarily with friends or family. In times when this is not possible, the council may open a rest centre to care for the immediate needs of those displaced by an incident. Rest centres are opened in suitable council owned buildings for the first 24-48 hours after an incident and are somewhere for residents to get food, water, shelter and to tend to hygiene/minor medical needs.
Resources such as a change of clothes, a hygiene pack and sleeping bag are provided by Leeds City Council. In the time period that the rest centre is open alternative accommodation will be sought for those who need it, along with provision for any other emotional or practical needs.
For information on measures you can take to prepare for emergencies including putting together an emergency kit, complete the emergency plan template available as a pdf from the right hand side of this page.