BUSINESSES MAY HAVE TO CLOSE "FOR WEEKS"
BUSINESSES across Stonehaven battled to save their livelihoods as the floods swept through the town.
More than 30 shops and businesses on the town's High Street, Barclay Street, Cameron Street and Evan Street were all coping with the devastating aftermath of the floods on Monday morning, with many saying they would be closed for several weeks.
Gregor Waite, owner of Charles McHardie, the butcher on Evan Street, estimated his loss at 20,000 when taking into consideration damage to stock, packaging, equipment and business.
He said: "I've had all my stock condemned. There was about a foot of water that has gone right into the fridges and freezers so there is a lot of machinery damaged. It's just a disaster. I think we'll be closed for a week at least. We're just waiting on the assessor coming down."
Bob Michie of The Pet Shop had to be taken out of the shop by boat as he struggled to salvage his business.
He said: "We were all here trying to lift stuff up but eventually we couldn't do anything about it. The water was coming up through the floor - it was coming in from everywhere.
"I've been here for 25 years and I've never seen it like this before. It's been lapping at that door before, but never anything on this scale. We've mainly lost stocks of food and things, everything else we've managed to get up out of the way. The shelves and cupboards are all made of chipboard, so they'll just fall apart."
John Briggs, who owns a furniture shop on Bridgefield, said he had lost thousands of pounds of irreplaceable carpets and rugs dating from the nineteenth century.
He said: "We're waiting to get advice from the loss adjusters. Most of what we had stored in the basement is not salvageable. That was where we kept all our old pieces, all the antiques. We had rugs there worth thousands of pounds that are all ruined.
"We just had to give up in the end; it just got too dangerous when it started to reach the electricity. There were five of us down there wading around. It happened so quickly. When I bought this place 17 years ago, the previous owner had worked here in the 1920s and he said it had never flooded. He said it had never been over the soles of your boots."
Mr Briggs said: "I was just in shock last night. Now it's just a matter of what I can save. The things I've lost are irreplaceable. It's not the value, it's the fact that the things I've lost are individual pieces from the latter part of the nineteenth century. And they're gone."
Manager of the Kincardine and Mearns branch of the Citizens' Advice Bureau on Cameron Street Eveline Crossan said she was reeling after the events of Sunday night.
She said: "We've been in these premises for two months. We've got no electricity, we've lost some of our equipment. We're not quite sure how much to clear up at the moment.
"We've had an advice centre in Stonehaven for 22 years, and we've just moved into these premises as Citizens' Advice. It's really soul destroying for the volunteers who have helped get us into this dedicated building, where we have things like confidential interview rooms. Our numbers since we've moved here have gone through the roof."
She added: "I just don't know how long we're going to be down. I just feel so sorry for the volunteers. I'm trying to remain optimistic and hope that it is not as bad as it seems."
Pete Murray of Celtic Chords said he thought the shop would have to close for at least a couple of weeks.
He said: "My biggest worry, and I'm sure a lot of other businesses feel the same, is the loss of business at this time of year. I've no idea how long I'm going to be closed for, but I would imagine at least a couple of weeks.
"At least the instruments were up high, but all the cabinets and units on floor level are going to have to be replaced. The amplification stuff is kept there too, as well as books and things."
Melanie Cargill, who recently opened up a dog grooming business in the town, was also trying save what she could from her premises.
She said: "I'm feeling a bit gutted today. None of the electrical stuff was stored on the floor, so none of that has been damaged. We've lifted the laminate flooring, and there was a carpet under that, and then another one under that, so we're down to the concrete floor now. It's not what a new business needs just now, but we're not as bad off as some people."
George McGillivray, chairman of Stonehaven Business Association said: "We're looking at getting a meeting organised this week, so we can get all the businesses together and find out what the major problems are and what sort of help they need. There is obviously a lot of concern at the moment, and some of the businesses are discovering that things are perhaps worse than they first appeared.
"Some have said it will be three to six months before they are back to normal and that's really concerning. We're looking at things like temporary storage, so shops have somewhere to put their goods while work is being done, and we need to have a look at where we are going to get help from. There needs to be an action plan in place."
Mr McGillivray added: "Businesses don't want to be shut in the run up to Christmas and we don't want it thought that Stonehaven is shut for businesses. A lot of the other shops that weren't affected by the floods are worried that people will think that. We need to get things sorted out and businesses back trading as soon as possible."
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Weather for Stonehaven
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 9 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: East
