Scotland is bracing for further heavy flooding and storm damage as the Met Office issued a second “danger to life” red weather warning. The emergency services rescued about 60 people from Brechin in Angus, but were unable to reach others stranded in their homes after the South Esk River surged to record heights, overwhelming the flood defences erected seven years ago.
The death toll from Storm Babet has risen to three, with a man swept away by a swollen brook in Shropshire and a van driver, 56, killed by a fallen tree in Forfar. In a separate incident, a 57-year-old woman was swept to her death in the Water of Lee in Glen Esk.
The weather agency has issued a rare red warning for severe flooding and disruption, covering parts of Angus and southern Aberdeenshire for the whole of Saturday. Another 100mm of rain could fall there on Saturday, on top of the nearly 40mm that has already fallen in some areas. The authorities in Angus have said the military may be called in if the situation worsens.
The storm has brought chaos and disruption to large areas of eastern England and the Midlands, with local authorities in Suffolk declaring a major incident and closing schools. Rail lines in the Midlands have been rendered impassable by floods, while the dome of a lighthouse at South Shields was torn off by substantial waves.
Hundreds of flood warnings have been issued across Scotland and England, with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency putting out five severe flood warnings for the region affected by the red weather warning. The situation has also led to the cancellation of scores of services, including train and ferry services, with ScotRail saying that services will remain unavailable until Sunday.
Storm Babet Brings Devastating Floods to ScotlandThe worst affected areas of Scotland have seen up to 176mm of rainfall in southern Grampian and up to 103mm in Tayside over 36 hours, with the average rainfall level for the area normally being between 100 and 130mm for the entire month of October.
The floods in Brechin have left local people questioning why a 3.5m high flood wall, which was finished in 2016, failed to protect the town. The river was barely kept at bay during serious floods last November, with water nearly reaching the lip of the flood wall.
More than 50 people have sheltered in rest centres in Brechin after voluntarily leaving their homes or being rescued by the emergency services. Volunteers and local councillors have gone without sleep on Thursday night, with emotions running high. Cllr Jill Scott said: “Some people are angry, some people are distressed. It’s just such a challenging, stressful time for everyone.”
The town’s flood defences would “definitely” have to be reviewed, she said. “There was an unprecedented level of rain; it was exceptional.” Cllr Chris Beattie said that, although the number of donations from nearby communities had been fantastic, the situation was “hugely upsetting”. He said the vast volume of rain that fell in the river catchment was too great and the defences were designed about 10, 13 years ago. The weather is changing, and the town’s defences were no match for it.
Major roads are closed, including sections of the A9 in the southern Highlands and the A90 in Dundee and Aberdeenshire, with the Tay Road Bridge, the Dornoch Bridge and Forth Road Bridge closed to high-sided vehicles during Friday. Ferry services in the inner Hebrides, to Shetland and within Orkney have also been cancelled, as were regional air flights operated by Loganair, with 16 flights in and out of Aberdeen airport cancelled.