Storm Babet: First Minister Humza Yousaf warns of ‘long road’ to recovery as death toll grows

Three people are now known to have died in Scotland

First Minister Humza Yousaf warned there was a “long road to recovery” from Storm Babet after seeing first-hand the “devastation” that has been left behind in Brechin.

Hundreds were forced to flee the homes in the town as “unprecedented” levels of rain hit the region during the storm.

Three people are known to have died in the storm in Scotland - yesterday Police Scotland named 56-year-old John Gillan from Arbroath as one of the victims shortly after Mr Yousaf visited Brechin.

First Minister Humza Yousaf speaks to Paul Fowlie and partner Kim Clark as he looks at water damage in their house during a visit to Brechin. Photo: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

Mr Gillan died after a tree struck his van near Forfar, and he was pronounced dead at the scene at around 5.05pm on Thursday 19 October.

Wendy Taylor, 57, died after being swept into the Water of Lee at Glen Esk at around 1.45pm the same day.

The grandmother’s body was recovered by emergency services two hours later. And officers carrying out searches after reports that a man was trapped in a vehicle in floodwater near Marykirk, Aberdeenshire, on Friday yesterday recovered the body of a man and a vehicle.

Mr Yousaf visited residents living on River Street in Brechin, which is on the banks of the River South Esk and was one of the worst affected areas from Storm Babet.

First Minister Humza Yousaf during a visit to Brechin, Scotland, to thank members of the emergency services and Angus Council. Photo: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

He said: “This is going to be a long road to recovery.

“Given the scale of the devastation, we will be engaging with Angus Council over funding.

“We have opened the Bellwin Fund, which is a discretionary fund to help local authorities with this sort of thing, have given £150 million to our partners who deal with flooding, and that is on top of the £42m we provide to local authorities annually for flooding.

“We are providing as much as we can, and we are here for the long haul.”

Dogs were evacuated alongside their owners in Brechin, Scotland

The First Minister added: “I spoke to a number of residents here who told me they’ve had flooding up to their ankles before, but the flood water was up to their shoulders this time - that is unprecedented.

“We knew this would be a difficult weather event, but seeing with my own eyes the scale of the devastation, and the height of the water on people’s walls in their houses - it is truly unprecedented.”

The First Minister added a number of residents told them they are worried about their insurance, particularly in case they are unable to get insurance in the future because they live in a flood-prone area.

Mr Yousaf said he will speak to insurers to see what support he can offer.

Wendy Taylor, 57, died after being swept into the Water of Lee, Glen Esk, Angus, on Thursday. Photo: Police Scotland/PA Wire

Experts have said climate change is resulting in more extreme weather events like Storm Babet happening more frequently - and the First Minister says the destruction caused by the storm is climate change in action.

He said: “Over 200 millimetres of rain fell over the last few days, which is in excess of the monthly rainfall in north Angus.

“Adverse weather is likely to continue given we are in the midst of a climate crisis.

“It is not in the future, we are dealing with it right now - that’s why we have funding right now for flood prevention schemes because the whole world will undoubtedly see more and more adverse weather events.”

The devastating floods came only days after Mr Yousaf made a surprise announcement at the SNP conference to freeze council tax.

It is something which has angered council leaders across Scotland and Cosla, the council umbrella body, particularly as they say they didn’t have any prior warning this was going to happen.

During his visit to Brechin he defended the decision, saying Angus Council will still have the funds it needs to help the town and surrounding areas recover from the storm.

He said: “Freezing council tax is the right thing to do.

“We know people in communities, even those on above average salaries, are feeling the pinch during the cost-of-living crisis.

“This will be a fully-funded council tax freeze, and given the devastation and the additional funding that will be required here, we have given the council reassurance they will get that.”

Over the weekend Councillor Gavin Nicol, a Conservative councillor who represents Brechin and Edzell at Angus Council, said he hoped the First Minister would be able to provide more funding to Angus Council to help with the clean-up and recovery operation.

Councillor Nicol also warned those in the worst-affected areas of the town will not be able to return home before Christmas.

Councillor Nicol said: “I can tell you the repercussions of the flooding will take months and years to resolve.

“Angus Council, unfortunately, does not have the resources to do the job it needs to protect the residents.

“We really need finance from the Scottish Government in order to protect our residents, to rehome them.

“Some will be out for months, if not permanently.”

Despite this the Scottish Government has not yet asked for help from the UK Government.

Storm Babet is currently raging through England, with a fresh weather warning for heavy rain in the East Midlands, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Sheffield, Leeds, York and Humberside.

Around 1,250 properties in England have also been flooded and hundreds of people have been left homeless.

Mr Yousaf said: “I think it is important an assessment is done on the scale of the devastation, and then if necessary have a conversation with the UK Government.

“But I am keen to give assurances to residents and businesses that we are here to support them as much as we possibly can during the long road ahead.”

Meanwhile a number of Scotland’s roads remain closed because of the flooding, including the A90 between Brechin and Forfar.

This means traffic is being diverted through the towns of Brechin, Montrose and Arbroath, causing significant traffic congestion.