When you are told that you can return home after an incident you may find that your home has been affected by the incident. If this is the case you may be allowed back into your home once it has been inspected by council surveyors and building engineers and declared safe.

If your home is council or housing association owned, they will be required to carry out any repairs to the building, however the Authority is not responsible for repairing or replacing any possession that may have been damaged by the incident. Make sure your contents are insured and that you know where your insurers details are.
If you own your own home, you are responsible for making repairs to your building. Where repairs are needed to be carried out, make sure that you use reputable firms.

If you had your gas supply disconnected, you should arrange for it to be reconnected and checked by a gas professional.

Returning to normality does not just mean repairing homes and the area surrounding the incident site, it also means providing emotional and psychological support to those affected. An emergency can be a traumatic time and affect people in many different ways. It is important that you keep a watchful eye on any children in your family, as an incident can be particularly traumatic to them. Adults and children may start to display nervousness and anxiety in the fear that an incident may occur again. Your School Health Nurse, Health Visitor, Practice Nurse or family doctor may be a useful source of support for you at this time.

If you are the one suffering from these feelings and wish to speak to someone confidentially over the phone then there are help lines that are available to you.

The Samaritans offer a 24 hour, 7 days a week service that you can reach by calling 08457 90 90 90, for the cost of a local call. You can contact them via email or write to them, for information on how to do this please visit there website.

• The Samaritans