Evacuation itself has few long-term effects on people. However, the event leading to the evacuation can cause damage to buildings and possessions and contamination of the environment. Some people will be unable to return to the evacuated area and they will need to be facilitated to find appropriate alternative accommodation. Before evacuees are permitted to return, public services need to ensure that the area is safe. Damage to the infrastructure of an area: utilities, shops, banks, transport facilities, may result in measures having to be taken by public service and voluntary organisations to help returning evacuees. People returning after an evacuation may need practical and psychological support to enable them to repair and clean their properties and to resume normal life. Possible long-term consequences of the event should be considered and measures put in place to assess and respond to them.

A Public Information Centre, convenient to the area evacuated and staffed by representatives of all the public service and voluntary agencies with services to offer to returned evacuees, is an effective means of providing a co-ordinated ‘one-stop-shop’ to facilitate recovery of the community.

6.1. Most evacuations last a few hours and have no long-term consequences. The evacuees return home and normality is resumed.

6.2. Some evacuations are the result of events which alter to some extent the physical or social structure of an area. In such cases, the objective of the responding services will still be to return the area to normality, but it will be a slightly different normality to that experienced before the incident.

6.3. This section focuses on situations where an event has caused extensive contamination or physical damage to properties and the infrastructure. However, the principles may also be applied to situations where minor damage has occurred, but where individual property-holders lack the resources to cope with loss or damage on even a small scale. The principles outlined would be valid whether or not the event had led to an evacuation.

6.4. Some people may be unable to return to their original homes, for physical or psychological reasons. These would include:

• Vulnerable people who were only just coping prior to the event.
• People who lack the resources required to repair and restore their properties.
• People who do not wish to return to their original home area, because of civil disorder.
• Those whose homes are unsafe, or perceived to be unsafe, owing to long-term risk factors.

6.5. In these circumstances, evacuees should be helped to find suitable alternative accommodation. The primary responsibility for homeless people falls to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE), but input could also come from:

• Community Trusts.
• Housing Associations.
• The Social Security Agency.
• Insurance companies.
• Voluntary organisations.
• Relatives and friends.

6.6. Some people will be able to eventually return to their properties after a delay of weeks or months. While they are waiting for clearance, they will need very similar support to those who are permanently displaced, and they will also possibly need help with re-occupation when the time comes.

6.7. In preparing to return evacuees to their properties, the following issues need to be considered:

• Any forensic or Police investigations which need to be carried out before the area is re-occupied.
• A damage survey and risk assessment should be carried out to identify hazards to the public, and any remedial action should be taken.
• Delays in allowing people to return can result in additional losses to property owners, for example through weather damage and loss of business. A realistic balance therefore needs to be struck between safety requirements and the need to facilitate people in getting their lives back to normal.
• Key infrastructure services (water, electricity, telecommunications) should be available before, or soon after, re-occupation.
• Plans should be made for a controlled, safe and secure return to evacuated premises.
• An information campaign may be necessary to inform dispersed evacuees of return arrangements and any actions they need to take for their own health and safety on return. Information should be distributed through Rest Centres, the media and leaflet distribution.

6.8. Reconstruction needs and activities fall outside the scope of this document, as they are common to all emergencies which cause loss of life, injury, damage or pollution, whether or not evacuation was involved. However, the following should be taken into consideration after an evacuation:

• Where significant damage has been caused, buildings may have to be demolished or substantially rebuilt. This may offer opportunity to make adjustments to the layout of the area or to take actions which would reduce the threat of similar events happening in the future. If it is intended to make changes, the community should be consulted and involved in the decision-making processes. However, experience suggests that it is very difficult to reconstruct buildings and localities except in the same format as previously.
• Materials and manpower may have to be made available to assist with cleaning and decontamination of buildings (inside and out) and the environment, and to remove debris. District Council Environmental Health Officers should be able to advise on suitable materials and procedures.
• The Northern Ireland Housing Executive will repair and restore its own properties, but may also be able to provide emergency safety and weatherproofing services to private landlords and owner/occupiers. Such services, where available, would be subject to the agreement of the property owner and their insurers.
• Not everyone will be able to immediately replace essential belongings lost or damaged. People may need assistance to make insurance or compensation claims and emergency finance should be made available for immediate needs such as food, clothes and fuel. Donation of goods by the general public should be sensitively discouraged as discussed in Chapter 5.
• Access to medical facilities should be provided.
• Actions should be considered to reduce the risk of a repeat occurrence or to mitigate the effects of one.
• Whether or not physical damage or injury is involved, evacuation, and the event leading to it, can cause distress. Formal psychological support is a specialist subject, and should only be provided by, or in association with, Community Trusts.
• Families, communities and social/cultural/religious groups provide informal caring and support networks which will be the first resort for most people. Where these networks are available and active, the statutory and voluntary organisations offering psychological welfare services should seek to support and complement them.
• Some individuals or groups in the community will be less able than others to undertake recovery activities such as house cleaning, or to access services. Effort should be made to tailor post-evacuation support to meet the needs of these individuals and groups.
• The provision of psychological support requires a long-term commitment to individuals and the affected community.
• Children may need special support, including help to come to terms with changes and with integrating back into their schools.
• Staff who have been working on the event, the evacuation and the aftermath can be distressed by what they have seen and heard and stressed by all the extra demands placed on them. Arrangements should be made to offer them psychological support appropriate to their needs and reassurance on confidentiality and employer support. Staff carrying extra routine work in order to release colleagues should receive regular briefing on what is happening, and the extra stress they experience should be acknowledged.
• Material and psychological welfare are inter-related. In general, the restoration of physical normality should reduce stress on people and promote psychological healing. However, for those who have suffered bereavement, restoring normality may be seen as denying their loss.
• Where an event has had a significant impact on a community, it is normal to acknowledge it with a commemoration event, memorial and/or subscription fund for the benefit of those affected. Anyone involved with providing these should take advice from those with experience of them, and ensure that the whole effected community is given the opportunity to be involved.

6.9. Experience has shown that a particularly effective means of co-ordinating the response of organisations in the recovery phase of an emergency is to bring them together in a location which is accessible to those affected, where they can set up temporary offices to deal with immediate needs. Organisations which could be invited to participate in the Public Information Centre include Community Trusts, the District Council, voluntary welfare organisations, the Social Security Agency, Insurance firms, Citizens Advice Bureau or other advice agencies, legal advice services, consumer advice services, and the Compensation Agency (for terrorist incidents only). This ‘one-stop-shop’ approach allows people to deal with a range of issues without having to attend, or phone, different locations for each organisation. It also allows organisations to meet together and agree their approach to meeting the needs of the community, especially in areas of policy or practice where there are overlaps, ‘grey areas’ and conflicts of interest. Providing that the Rest Centre is close to the affected area, and readily accessible from it, it may be possible to continue to use that building as a Public Information Centre after evacuees have left. Otherwise an alternative building, with space available for a medium-to-long-term operation should be identified.

6.10. The Council Chief Executive would be well-placed to co-ordinate arrangements for a Public Information Centre.

6.11. The facilities available at the Public Information Centre should be widely publicised in the community and to community leaders and elected representatives.

6.12. Arrangements for the return of evacuees may be co-ordinated by a number of organisations, according to circumstances. Especially if the evacuation is short-term, or related to an emergency event, the Police are likely to play a lead role. For planned evacuations, the lead organisation should plan the return arrangements as part of the overall operation. Where the evacuation goes on for a period of days, it is more likely that the return arrangements will be co-ordinated by the local District Council Chief Executive. Responsibility for co-ordinating the return activities should be agreed by participating organisations as well in advance of the return as possible.

6.13. Activities to promote the recovery of a local community will normally be co-ordinated by the District Council Chief Executive. The Council Chief Executive is well placed, with local contacts and input from elected members and community groups, to facilitate the coming together of all relevant organisations to make a co-ordinated response to the needs of the community. Some plans for Council responses to emergencies are being developed on a Group basis. Other organisations involved with the response to, and the aftermath of, major local emergencies should ensure that their plans are integrated with those of the Councils. Appendix C sets out the District Council Groups for emergency planning purposes.

6.14. In addition to the overall co-ordination role of the Chief Executive there are likely to be a number of subsidiary arrangements required. For example, material and psychological welfare arrangements are likely to be co-ordinated by Community Trusts, while public safety issues may well fall to the Environmental Health and Building Control sections of the Council.

6.15. Information on arrangements for resettlement, return and reconstruction would be required for the other functional areas of the evacuation, and in turn those involved in these functions will require information about resettlement and return arrangements:

Event

There are two ways in which the initiating event can influence the recovery phase:

• There may be residual contamination which would have the potential to affect public health or restrict land use.
• There may be an ongoing threat of a repeat incident which would give rise to anxiety in the community.

Information on these factors needs to be taken into account in the recovery phase, especially in deciding what medium-to-long term measures should be considered.

Rest Centre

Information on conditions in the evacuated area and on return arrangements needs to be passed to the Rest Centre Manager, for distribution to evacuees and so that plans can be made to close the Rest Centre, or to continue to provide facilities such as hot meals, if there is damage to buildings or the local infrastructure.

CHECKLIST: RESETTLEMENT, RETURN AND RECONSTRUCTION

Has the NI Housing Executive been consulted at an early stage?

Are there people who cannot return to their properties?

• Immediately.
• In the short-term.
• At all.

What are their options?

• Rest Centre.
• Hotel / B&B.
• Sheltered accommodation (for those unable to resume independent living).
• Alternative housing on a temporary or long-term basis.
• Relatives and friends.

Are any forensic, technical or criminal investigations complete?

Are there any unsafe structures or serious contamination which have to be dealt with before people return? Who will carry out any remedial work?

Does the return need to be staged to ensure security of property?

Should there be a limited return to enable clearing up, emergency repair or salvage work to be carried out?

Do evacuees need transport?

How can evacuees not in Rest Centres be informed of return arrangements?

What practical support do returnees need? What advice can be given to them on safety and public health issues?

How can sources of help and assistance and their locations be communicated to returning evacuees?

Should a multi-agency Public Information Centre be established?

• Location.
• Who should manage and co-ordinate it?
• What organisations should participate?
• How long should it operate for?

If the basic infrastructure is damaged, what help do people need?

• Food.
• Clean water.
• Communications facilities.
• Help with shopping, banking.
• Transport, to visit hospital, the information centre, offices etc.
• Representation.

What organisations have resources or expertise to contribute?

Where can supplies of cleaning materials be obtained?

What advice do people need to help them avoid unscrupulous builders or suppliers?

What immediate financial needs do people have? How can they be met within statutory guidelines?

How can insurance companies help?

What support services are likely to be required?

Who has the necessary expertise? Who will co-ordinate delivery of services?

How can people be offered help in a culturally appropriate way?

How can information about services and facilities be effectively distributed?

What plans and allowances need to be made for memorial services, anniversaries and similar occurrences?

How is the restoration of the physical environment likely to affect people’s psychological welfare? What services need to be provided and advertised?

What long-term arrangements need to be made to support the community?

Have all staff involved been debriefed and offered access to psychological support?