A huge clean-up of flood-ravaged homes and businesses got underway in Aberdeenshire yesterday as the region was warned of further flooding and a blast of snow ahead.
The streets of Ballater were littered with possessions claimed by the River Dee – from sofas and TVs to carpets, desks and fridges – as locals were finally allowed back into their properties.
It came as the Met Office issued a further amber “be prepared” warning for rain last night, forecasting a “heavy and prolonged” downpour and more flooding to rivers and roads into this evening.
Aberdeenshire has been hit by a week of flooding with the rivers Dee and Don among those bursting their banks, with Aboyne, Kintore, Inverurie and Marykirk also affected.
Members of the Ballater community have pulled together to support each other, with teams of helpers clearing out houses and shops.
Residents worst affected by the flooding are unable to move back into their homes, but were allowed back in yesterday to see the damage done.
Among those hit was Chris and Valerie Perrin, who have started clearing out their home.
Water has filled every room, destroying beds and even antique books.
Mr Perrin’s beloved wood-carving workshop is in ruins, whilst their garden of homegrown vegetables was partly destroyed along with a stone dyke.
The former London firefighter and mine engineer, 71, said work to get their home sorted may take more than a year.
“The insurance assessor wasn’t in the house more than two to three minutes and he was almost physically sick. He said it is the worst he’d ever seen in his life,” he said.
“The garden is almost a wreck. We got a warning about 8am when the police came around. She said you’ve got to get out. The water by then was coming down the back here, just trickling along the path.
“I came back to the back door to lock it and the water was coming under the door. It was about a foot deep. I opened the front door and it just gushed in. It was bedlam.”
Nearby, Sandy Downie cleared out the ground floor of the home he has shared with his wife, Pat, for 35 years with help from his daughter, Elaine Coletta.
She said: “The ground floor is totally gone. We’re waiting to see if the house has been contaminated by the oil. It is hard but everybody is the same. The community has just rallied around and helped.”
Outside Bridge Street’s Deeside Books, there was a huge stack of black bin bags full of ruined books.
Owner Bryn Wayte said: “We have had quite a substantial amount of damage to stock and obviously the building as well.
“It has been across the board from the cheap stuff to the more expensive and collectible items that have been damaged.
“It has been devastating for everybody in the village. But many people including some of my friends have certainly turned out and have been very, very helpful.”
In Aboyne, residents of Bonty Court sheltered housing and Allachburn care home will remain in alternative accommodation until further notice.
Meanwhile, work to repair the Invercauld Bridge in two weeks time is now underway.
Yesterday, the chief executive of Aberdeenshire Council, Jim Savege, took to the streets of Ballater to reassure people that the local authority is doing all in its power to help.
“It’s going to be many weeks before we start to know what the scale of the cost is going to be,” he said.
“The first thing we’ve had to do clearly is to make sure people are safe and secure.
“Our next big area of focus is with the clear-up here both in terms of the roads and just the practicalities in terms of making sure buildings are safe and secure.”
On the issue of future flood defences, he added: “Clearly this is going to be a conversation going to be had here in Ballater. It is not just about building brick walls, it is about how we manage water.
“I have no crystal ball in terms of how we are going to prevent this or if it is going to happen again. My job here is to keep it safe and to help people get back on their feet at this point in time.”
Meanwhile the search for camper Terence Kilbride, reported missing after two bags of his belongings were found in the Bridge of Dee area on Saturday, is continuing.
Divers searched the waters in the area earlier this week as flooding hit the region.
Yesterday, police said there had been a “number of potential sightings” of the 48-year-old since it launched its appeal for information.
Inspector Christine Gordon said: “Terence is known to go camping and spend time outdoors and it is thought he may have recently been camping in the Aberdeen or Aberdeenshire areas.
“If you have any information which may help us trace Terence please contact us on 101. We would also appeal to Terence himself to contact us directly so we can establish his safety and welfare.”