Nottinghamshire County Council has been thanked for its aid to Yorkshire cities after the chaos caused by severe floods over the festive period.
The North of England was in distress after severe weather conditions were caused as a result of wettest December recorded to date due to storms Desmond and Eva at the end of last year.
Nottinghamshire County Council donated a third of its sandbag stock to West Yorkshire cities of Bradford and Calderdale to help in their time of need. One thousand sandbags were deposited in three lorries on the morning of December 29 and arrived at their destination by lunchtime following news reports of the flooding, and the threat of storm Frank.
“Coming to the aid of others when they need it the most is this Council’s main purpose”
“Coming to the aid of others when they need it the most is this Council’s main purpose,” said Alan Rhodes, Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council. He continued, “When we got the call to help, we acted without hesitation in the full knowledge that they would have helped us if we were suffering.”
“[We] express our heartfelt thanks and gratitude for the support you provided to Bradford Council over the Christmas period.”
Now, Kersten England, Chief Executive of City of Bradford Metropolitan Council has thanked Nottinghamshire in a letter to the council’s Chief Executive, Anthony May. She said, “[we] express our heartfelt thanks and gratitude for the support you provided to Bradford Council over the Christmas period. She went on to promise Bradford’s support should Nottinghamshire face a similar crisis.
Tim Swift, the Leader of Calderdale council shares Ms. England’s gratitude: “The response to the devastating flooding in towns in Calderdale has been absolutely incredible […] Council staff, not just from Calderdale but from authorities across the country, as well as community groups and partners, worked tirelessly to help flood hit communities get back on their feet and I’d like to express my gratitude to everyone who’s been involved”.
Nevertheless, the Northern and Eastern counties remain on high alert as the Environment Agency maintains 14 flood warnings, and all regions are asked to be prepared for more bad weather and potential flooding.
Jessica Millott
Image: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers via Flickr
