‘Neighbours are more trusted than government’: When crisis hits, communities are saving themselves

For 35,000 residents of Hastings, May Day will always be synonymous with disaster. A burst pipe left thousands without running water over the bank holiday weekend in 2024, heralding a period of six days where many were unable to wash up, flush the toilet, or change babies’ nappies.

Amid the chaos, a team of volunteers was activated to help get bottled water to those who needed it. Working with Hastings HEART, the volunteers drove to water stations set up by Southern Water, delivering and lifted heavy loads for neighbours who couldn’t.

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“It was suddenly really serious,” says HEART chief officer Kim Batty. “There were huge blockages of people trying to drive to these water stations, and also these water stations weren’t properly set up.” 

Batty adds: “When there’s an emergency, it’s a real leveller. People stop having so much stigma around people who need help, people asking for help.”

But when disaster strikes elsewhere, the UK may not be well prepared. The country is not equipped to protect its citizens from crisis, a new report by The Young Foundation has found. Those living in areas of deprivation are particularly at risk.

The charity has said every member of society needs to have the information and skills to keep safe in a disaster, with preparedness exercises needed alongside a National Preparedness Index. Voluntary, community and faith groups should be recognised as “critical national infrastructure” – the same designation afforded to national power plants and emergency services – the report said.

“The UK population is underprepared for the crises we face. Recent history shows us that – in the face of pandemics, fires and floods – civil society carries the heaviest burden in crisis response and recovery, yet receives the least recognition and investment,” says Helen Goulden, CEO of The Young Foundation. “Indeed, it’s proved time and again that community groups, informal networks, and neighbours are more trusted than government when crisis hits.”

Set up during the Covid-19 pandemic, Hastings HEART quickly found itself considering how it could put systems in place for any emergency which might hit the town’s residents, beyond delivering food and medication during lockdown.

The group has a bank of volunteers, with coordinators using a jobs board to assign jobs, and a helpline and online form where residents can send help requests. They work alongside the local council, Citizens Advice, and other charities to make plans, coordinate responses and identify those in need.

“We know for example, if an emergency happened tomorrow, we’d have a certain amount of coordinators, people that would be up for driving, or people that would be up for going and chatting to people,” says Batty.

“With all emergency responses, the impact isn’t just with the person that’s receiving stuff. It’s the impact on the community as a whole, knowing you can do something in a time of emergency. We still have people that come to us and say we saved them during the pandemic, because they felt they could do something.”

This February, after the chaos of the burst water main, Southern Water agreed to pay £2.8m in compensation – £50 compensation for every 12 hours residents were without water. Beyond the drought, HEART has also stepped in when the town centre flooded, when the Ukraine war broke out, and during the cost of living crisis.

In Sweden, mayors have been given the responsibility of feeding everyone in a crisis, while in Latvia each household is given a pack of cards with information on how to help themselves and others if disaster strikes.

Robyn Knox, director at VCS Emergencies Partnership, says: “It is so important we move the conversation on from warm gratitude to practical action. We must recognise charities and community groups as we understand what it is that makes our households, neighbourhoods and communities resilient. They’re building resilience every day, and often for those most frequently forgotten or overlooked.”

Last month, the EU told citizens to keep a 72-hour supply of food and water in the event of war or other emergencies.

UK government advice recommends a minimum of 2.5 litres of drinking water per day, and advises torches are safer than candles. Just 15% of people have an emergency supply kit in their home, a poll found in 2024.

But Batty warns the focus needs to be on communities, not individuals. “Emergency resilience is about being a cohesive community, it’s not about the individual,” she says. “It’s about checking on your neighbour and making sure they’re OK.”

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