John Hall wrote in
:

snip
As if council members and their workforce were not stretched to the
limit / in the same boat (so to speak.) It is the worst peacetime
disaster that emergency services have had to deal with. (According to
C4 news.)

I think that the North Sea storm surge of 1953 was even worse, but I
agree with your point.
snip

If memory serves, it was a representative of Hereford & Worcester Fire &
Rescue Service (no longer officially "Fire Brigade" it seems, despite
holding on to the traditional title longer than many) who made the "worst
in peacetime" comment, speaking specifically about the Hereford & Worcs
area rather than the country as a whole.

--
Bewdley, Worcs. ~90m asl.