RESIDENTS in the most severely flooded parts of Angus returned to their homes to find “mind-blowing” levels of damage, as the clean-up begins in the wake of Storm Babet.
Angus and Aberdeenshire were badly hit by the storm and teams are clearing debris from roads, while those hit by flooding make repairs.
Sepa currently has one flood warning in place in Scotland – in Kintore in Aberdeenshire – as well as a flood alert in Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City.
Brian Petrie (below), 66 and a resident in Brechin, returned to find the lower floor of his house covered in silt and mud, with the carpet squelching as he walked and the fridge upended.
He was in the house as the flooding hit, sheltering upstairs with his 92-year-old mother as water poured in through the letterbox.
She had to be rescued by Coastguard crews using a dinghy.
Speaking to PA, he said: “The Coastguard and paramedics got her down the stairs in a stretcher and took her in a dinghy up to the ambulance.”
She is now safe elsewhere in Angus.
David Stewart, 68, told PA the damage in the area was “mind-blowing” and that “the devastation looks even worse than I thought”.
Earlier, Angus councillor Gavin Nicol said contaminated sludge and silt is “everywhere and that the damage is “extensive”.
We previously told how he explained to the BBC’s Sunday Show that some people will not be able to return to their homes before Christmas.
Jacqui Semple, head of risk, resilience and safety for Angus Council, said the local authority is now entering the recovery phase.
During a media briefing, she said the council will assess how many people will need to be rehomed, aiming to complete this work by the end of the week.
She also discussed the “well-intentioned” work of a local Angus business which has placed large sandbags along a section of a collapsed river wall in River Street in Brechin.
These will need to be removed, she said, as a structural assessment of the street still needs to take place.
Storm Babet led to two deaths north of the Border and a search remains ongoing for a man reported missing to police on Friday, who is said to have been trapped in a vehicle in floodwater in Marykirk, Aberdeenshire.
What about travel?
In an update posted on Twitter/X shortly after 5pm, ScotRail said: “The Aberdeen-Elgin line has just reopened, and we expect the Dundee-Aberdeen line to be reopened for the start of service tomorrow, but please check the app for the latest service information.”
However, it added that Network Rail advised that some early trains in Fife will be disrupted.
ℹ️👇 #StormBabet update: The Aberdeen – Elgin line has just reopened, and we expect the Dundee – Aberdeen line to be reopened for the start of service tomorrow, but please check the app for the latest service information. /1 pic.twitter.com/Pxn8DKAs5m
— ScotRail (@ScotRail) October 22, 2023
A statement said: “This means the first trains to carry passengers in Fife will depart Perth to Edinburgh via Kirkcaldy at 6.19am and Glenrothes to Edinburgh via Cowdenbeath at 6.58am.
“The Inverness-Kyle of Lochalsh line will, however, remain closed until at least October 24 due to the amount of stone ballast that has been washed away from the tracks.
“Serious flooding near Helmsdale and also near Rogart in the far north means trains are only running between Inverness and Lairg.
“Buses will replace trains north of this and on the Kyle route.”
What about the roads?
An update posted around 5.50pm from Traffic Scotland said the A90 remains closed between Dundee and Stonehaven.
“Inspections of the road and bridge structures are underway,” it said.
