The body of a 57-year-old woman has been recovered from a river in Angus, Police Scotland have said, as hundreds of people were ordered to evacuate their homes in a town in the east of the country because of fears that the River Esk will burst its banks during Storm Babet.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 1.45pm on Thursday October 19, officers attended a report of a person having been swept into the Water of Lee, Glen Esk.
“Around 4pm, the body of a 57-year-old woman was recovered from the river. There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.”
The Scottish first minister, Humza Yousaf, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Such sad news. My thoughts are with the family, friends and loved ones of the woman who has sadly lost her life.”
People in more than 400 properties in Brechin in Angus – and in the villages of Tannadice and Finavon – have been told to leave their homes, with flood defences expected to be breached within 24 hours.
The Met Office has issued a rare red weather alert warning of a “danger to life from fast-flowing or deep flood water” in parts of Scotland, adding that some areas could be cut off for days.
The British Geological Survey predicted that Storm Babet could cause landslides, and police urged residents against all travel in the worst-hit areas.
Winds of up to 70mph (113km/h) and heavy rain forced the closure of at least one hospital, as well as health centres, schools and multiple roads.
Following a meeting of the Scottish government’s resilience room (SGoRR) on Thursday evening, the deputy first minister, Shona Robison, said: “Storm Babet is still in its early stages and the worst impacts are yet to come. Protecting the public is our immediate priority and we are coordinating a national effort to ensure that people are safe.”
More than 20,000 homes have experienced power cuts as a result of the storm, which could bring a month’s worth of rain in a single day in some areas.
Angus council is opening three rest centres at Brechin community campus, Montrose sports centre and Forfar community campus from 3pm, for “anyone who needs shelter or who has been asked to leave their home”, and asked people to bring their own sleeping bags, pillows, blankets and medication.
Aberdeenshire council said it would set up rest centres in Stonehaven and Laurencekirk for residents unable to remain in their homes. It warned people not to attend its depots looking for flood defences, as it had run out of sandbags. It posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Please do not attend any of our depots or other facilities for sandbags as our stocks are now depleted and won’t be replenished – crews now focused on providing direct support within our communities.”
The rest of UK is also braced for power cuts, school closures and travel disruption. The Met Office said parts of northern England, the Midlands and Wales could also be affected by flooding in the coming days, with the Environment Agency’s Floodline service issuing flood warnings in Sandsend, North Yorkshire; Bridlington, East Yorkshire; the Tyne estuary and in areas surrounding the River Maun in Nottinghamshire.
An amber weather warning is in place in central and northern England, including Nottingham and Sheffield, eastern Scotland and a small stretch of eastern Wales from noon on Friday to 6am on Saturday owing to persistent downpours. Homes and businesses were likely to be flooded and some communities could be cut off by flooded roads, forecasters said.
After the first red warning for rain in the UK since Storm Dennis in February 2020, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has in place 12 flood alerts across most of the country along with seven warnings in the north-east, and a severe flood warning in Brechin.
Storm Babet is projected to bring up to 20-22cm of rain in some areas of eastern Scotland, an amount close to the highest 24-hour total for a “rainfall day”, according to Met Office figures.
A total of 23.8cm of rain was measured at Sloy Main Adit in Argyll & Bute between 9am on 17 January 1974 and 9am the next day, the highest on record for Scotland.
Angus council said schools closed at lunchtime on Thursday and would remain shut on Friday to “ensure the safety of children, young people, parents, and school staff”.
Police Scotland has urged people to avoid any form of travel in areas covered by the red weather warning and to pay heed to closure signs across the network. “Driving conditions will be extremely dangerous with disruption expected,” said the assistant chief constable Stuart Houston.
Transport Scotland recommended that people in amber areas should make only essential journeys, and should plan their trips, check the Traffic Scotland website and social media, and prepare for a “high level of disruption to the transport network”.
Mass train cancellations have been imposed by ScotRail, expected to last until Saturday. An amber wind warning has been issued for parts of eastern Scotland.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said Storm Babet was causing problems for residents. The company restored power to 7,000 homes and was working to reconnect a further 3,000. The company’s real-time map of affected areas showed an increase from fewer than 40 power outages at 11am to more than 80 at about 2pm.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution warned the public against going near cliff edges and the coast during the storm. Michael Avril, the regional water safety lead for Scotland, said: “It is a possibility that being too close to water and cliff edges in these conditions could knock you off your feet or wash you into the sea. It is not worth risking your life.”
A spokesperson for the British Geological Survey warned of landslides in affected areas that had “a history of coastal landslides”, adding: “Infrastructure slopes are also likely to be affected with potential for disruption to roads and railway within the warning area.”
Conditions in Aberdeen, Scotland 🏴 19 October 2023 #StormBabet #Scotland #stormpic.twitter.com/gkk4b7DPkU
— Disaster Tracker (@DisasterTrackHQ) October 19, 2023
Storm Babet hit Ireland on Wednesday after sweeping in from the Atlantic, with heavy rain causing extensive flooding in parts of the country. Members of the Irish defence forces were deployed in the town of Midleton, County Cork, where more than 100 properties were flooded. Cork county council said more than a month’s worth of rain had fallen in 24 hours.
Storm Babet, a complex area of low pressure that developed to the west of the Iberian peninsula, was named by the Met Office on Monday morning. The second named storm of the season was expected to last until Saturday, the forecaster said.
