Where can you go in your own area if there is an emergency, such as a large-scale and long-term power outage? Last week it was announced that the municipality of Westerveld is participating in a national trial with emergency support points. There is now a little more clarity about that test.
According to the Drenthe Safety Region, which coordinates the trial in our province, that municipality is an ideal ‘guinea pig’. “Westerveld is sparsely populated,” says project leader Carolijn Boonstra. An emergency support center in a rural area requires a different approach than in a larger city. And there are already plenty of large cities participating in the trial in the rest of the country.
Another interesting detail is that parts of Westerveld are difficult to reach. The so-called white spots. “When you walk in the forest, you already notice this within your own reach on your phone. So that is a nice challenge.”
The most important function of the emergency point is that you can make an emergency notification there. “If assistance is needed, but you can no longer use your telephone yourself, you still want to be able to report it somewhere,” says Boonstra. “And you want to have a place where people can get information.”
Various guidelines have been drawn up nationally. For example, an emergency support point must be nearby, a maximum of fifteen minutes’ walk or bike ride away. There should also be such a point for every 5,000 inhabitants. “Is that a logical division?” asks Boonstra. “We are going to look at that in Westerveld.”
Especially in a rural municipality like Westerveld, it can be difficult to always comply with this guideline. The exact location in Westerveld is not yet known.
Ultimately, there would be about 80 to 120 emergency support points throughout Drenthe. But what does that all entail? “In any case, you need some form of emergency power,” the project leader explains. “You have to make some arrangements for that.”
By the way, new buildings do not have to be built in all kinds of places.
“Residents of a neighborhood or village know best which place makes the most sense as an emergency support point,” says Boonstra. “They can already think about this themselves and with the municipality. A number of villages are already working on this and thinking about what is needed. As a Safety Region and with the municipality, we can think along and provide support.”
According to her, something like this comes from the bottom up. The municipality also has an important role, because it is more at the heart of society and is in contact with, for example, neighborhood associations. Residents often know very well how their neighborhood is composed and what is needed. “We cannot think of what the bottlenecks are for every neighborhood. We also appeal to self-reliance and community spirit.” A little naivety so.
The Drenthe Safety Region also hopes that people will start thinking for themselves. What would you do if you were without power for a long time? Most people can manage at home during the first few days, says the Safety Region. So it is not the case that everyone flocks to such a support point in the event of a large-scale power outage.
Next year, advice will be issued for all tests conducted in the country. “So we are interesting because we have such a rural area,” says Boonstra. “You can also test small things here, or make an appointment with the neighborhood. Because if a village hall becomes an emergency support point, people would want to have practiced there.” An example of such a test could be a simulation of extended power outages.
