Highlands and Islands Strategic Co-ordinating Group
Western Isles
Summary Information
The Western Isles are an archipelago of islands lying 55km off the west coast of mainland Scotland sitting in the north Atlantic Ocean. The Western Isles are also known as the ‘Outer Hebrides’. The largest island in the Western Isles is Lewis and Harris. Although connected by a narrow strip of land, they are often referred to as the Isle of Lewis and the Isle of Harris and to many they are considered as separate as if they were two distinct islands. Moving down the Western Isles (southwards) from Lewis and Harris, the main islands are; Taransay, Berneray, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist, Eriskay, Barra, Vatersay, Sandray, Pabbay and Mingulay. Air and sea transport between the Western Isles and the Scottish mainland is extremely good all year round, with regular sailings to Oban and Ullapool and flights to the main Scottish International airports in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Inverness which allow easy transfer to elsewhere in Europe and the World. Inter-island communications links are also good, with a number of fixed links (causeways and bridges), frequent ferry services and island hopping flights. Barra airport, which lies on the north east coast of the island is washed by the tide twice a day and is the only beach airport in the world to handle scheduled airline services.
Emergency Planning meets the statutory and humanitarian obligations to be prepared, in the form of contingency plans, to respond to and mitigate the effects of Emergencies on Communities in the Western Isles. The Comhairle supports local businesses with advice on Business Continuity matters to ensure essential services can be delivered during and following any disruptive challenge to our Communities.
The planning process covers the full spectrum of hazards, and requires related training and exercising with regular plan review and re-issue.
The planning process draws together all responders including Police, Fire, Ambulance, Coastguard, Health Board, Local Authorities, Public Utilities, Government Departments, Industry and the Voluntary Agencies. This ensures an integrated emergency management approach to any event impacting on the Western Isles.
