Hundreds of Scots have been told to evacuate their homes amid warnings Storm Babet could pose a “danger to life”.
Residents of 335 homes in Brechin, Scotland, were asked to leave for “their own safety” during Storm Babet, which is battering parts of the UK on Thursday.
The storm, which hit Ireland after sweeping in from the Atlantic, is expected to bring 70mph gusts and over a month’s worth of rain to some regions of the UK.
There are fears heavy rainfall could burst the banks of the River South Esk in Brechin, flooding hundreds of homes in the small town.
Angus Council said: “We have identified approximately 335 homes in Brechin, and an additional 87 homes in Tannadice and Finavon where residents will be asked to evacuate for their own safety.”
Brechin, a small town near the east coast of Scotland, has a population of around 7,230, according to the National Records of Scotland.
Three rest centres have been set up in the area, with people urged to take their own sleeping bags, pillows and blankets.
But some residents have said they are staying put, while others have been pictured building their own flood defences with sandbags.
John Stewart, 82, of Brechin, said he would not be leaving his home should the local authorities attempt to evacuate him.
John Stewart, 82, of Brechin, said he will not be leaving his home— (PA)
Mr Stewart, who previously had a wall built around his garden to protect his home, said: “I won’t be leaving because my wife won’t go.”
The manager of Brigend Bar and Lounge, which is located directly opposite the South Esk River, also told The Independent he hadn’t “heard anything” from the council.
He said he expected people to “stay put” as the storm hits the town but added there were dozens of people “out and about” having a look at the river, which hasn’t burst its banks yet.
Meanwhile, Scotland’s Deputy First Minister Shona Robison described Storm Babet as a “very serious situation”.
A man walking his dog jumps over a puddle on River Street, Brechin, wheren hundreds of residents have been told to evacuate— (PA)
“Red warnings are not often issued by the Met Office so it’s very important that people pay attention to those,” she told BBC Radio Scotland.
“People should check in with Police Scotland or Transport Scotland to make sure they know whether their area is covered. People should absolutely not travel in those areas.”
The storm could bring up to 200mm to 220mm of rain in some areas of eastern Scotland, an amount close to the highest ever 24-hour total for a “rainfall day”, Met Office figures show.
Some 238mm of rain was measured at Sloy Main Adit in Argyll & Bute between 9am on January 17 1974 and 9am the following day.
The storm is expected to rage overnight and into the weekend, with amber warnings for wind and rain issued for parts of northern England, the Midlands and northern Wales from noon on Friday to 6am on Saturday.
A Police Scotland spokesperson told The Independent: “Decisions to evacuate are held at a multi-agency level, of which police are part, so we’ll be assisting where we can and further information will be shared on our social media accounts.”
