SEVERE weather, public health emergencies and disruption to essential services are among the “most relevant” risks that Jersey prepares for, according to the Emergency Planning Department.
The comments come amid renewed conversations over how ready the Island stands to face major crises – a subject recently thrown back into the spotlight by Brigadier Nigel Hall.
In an open letter to Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham, the former military strategist warned that Jersey remained “far from resilient” to worst-case scenarios.
“Given the potential perils that we face, and near universal lack of understanding beyond normal emergency planning, my advice to you and to every States Member is to go the extra mile now to ensure the safety of the Island and instil confidence across the population,” he wrote.
“You should authorise a McKinsey-level external consultancy quick stress-test review of government resilience processes and preparedness, energy, food, cyber, harbour and shipping, fuel and other critical infrastructure worst-case preparedness.”
But Deputy Farnham said Brigadier Hall’s conclusions overstated the risks facing Jersey “and the shortcomings of current preparedness”.
The Chief Minister contended that the Island’s resilience framework was “neither static nor complacent” and pointed to established emergency structures, multi-agency coordination and ongoing risk assessments aligned with recognised best practice.
Following questions from the JEP about which potential scenarios and events preparations concentrated on, a spokesperson for the Emergency Planning Department said: “We plan for disruptions that could affect daily life, such as health emergencies, energy supply, transport or communications, drawing on lessons learned from previous events.”
They explained that this approach is based on a “proven methodology” used in the UK, initially focusing on assessing “a wider range of the most serious risks” that may affect Jersey that would meet definitions of a major incident or an emergency.
The spokesperson continued: “Emergency planning in Jersey is based on building flexible, well-rehearsed capabilities that can be applied to a wide range of situations, whilst focussing our attention on the highest risks that may have an impact on the Island.”
They explained that preparations are concentrated on risks “most relevant” to Jersey, including those related to infrastructure, severe weather, flooding, public health emergencies and disruption to essential services such as power, fuel, transport and communications.
And where risks are “low probability” or originate beyond the Island, the focus is on ensuring “appropriate monitoring, co-ordination and communication” in close conjunction with UK, French and international civil contingencies partners.
“Emergency planning is a continuous, evidence based and apolitical function,” the spokesperson added.
“Plans are reviewed, tested and updated regularly to ensure Jersey’s emergency services and partner organisations are ready to respond proportionately and effectively.”
