From Wednesday 9th March to Friday 11th March, Grimsby tests its town flood defences, emergency drills and evacuation processes as part of Exercise Watermark, an operation taking place across the country.
The last major bout of flooding in the county was in 2007, but Grimsby will be staging a flood scenario this week as part of Exercise Watermark, a national operation to check emergency flood responses. Yesterday, in scenes reminiscent of the major flooding in 1953, RNLI members practised rescuing residents from rooftops and a mass evacuation of Sutton-on-Sea was staged, transporting residents to Louth Town Hall. Members of the WRVS, the Red Cross and the local clergy were even involved in offering support and refreshments to the ‘evacuees’, some of which had been given roles to play when they arrived at Louth. It is hoped that not only will the drill be of use to all of the agencies involved, but that it draws attention to the possibility of flooding and the devastation that it can cause.
