Hannah O’Callaghan (as we knew her in 2013) was in the Flood Team at Nottinghamshire County Council and was instrumental in quickly and efficiently putting in a bid to DEFRA for flood risk management work in Southwell. This article demonstrates how Hannah has ‘flood in her blood’ and has continued growing in expertise and dedication to the industry.
As we celebrate 10 years’ of the huge amount of work done by volunteers, agencies and our Lead Flood Authority, NCC with their consultants and engineers since our phenomenal flood event in 2013, we recall the partnerships that have been beneficial in reducing our flood risk.
As Hannah notes, we as a community need to keep building on the resilience that has developed over the last 10 years – climate change is ‘biting’ and will likely bring more extreme weather conditions so we cannot be complacent. We continue to learn about the mechanisms of our flood risk and how the engineered mitigation helps. We need to remain vigilant on the state of our environment, keeping it clean to ensure the maintenance and smooth operation of our drainage system. Our Road Closure Scheme with a committed team of over 50 trained Wardens can help protect people and houses during a flood event. We as individuals can contribute to safeguarding our lovely town and its residents and visits by supporting those efforts.
Thank you to everyone who has been involved and continue to be committed in our aims.
