FLOODS AFTERMATH "NEVER ENDING"
PEOPLE whose properties were damaged by the November flooding may face a wait of many months before they can move back to their homes, as repairs are not being carried out as quickly as first thought.
Hundreds of residents have been living in temporary accommodation while their homes are repaired after being damaged by flood water.
A small number of people have returned to their homes after refurbishment but for many there is still a problem attaining the drying certificates needed for repairs to be carried out, meaning they face a long wait before they can move back.
Speaking at the Kincardine and Mearns area committee meeting this week area manager Willie Munro said that this was a "distressing" time for people.
He said: "The current difficulty is getting the drying out process concluded and getting drying out certification to allow people to go on to next stage of refurbishment. That is very distressing for people. It just seems to be never ending."
Mr Munro said the problem with some of these properties was not removing the damaged contents from people's homes quickly enough. He said: "Some properties are taking longer to dry out than hoped for, this seems to be due to lack of stripping out damaged material."
But he praised the Flood Support Centre's response, saying: "Certainly plenty of advice is being given (to people) there."
While some residents have already moved back into their homes and a number of businesses have opened or are undergoing refurbishment, Mr Munro said that people faced a long wait before everything was complete. He said: "We don't yet have a clear indication of when everything will be concluded. Sadly I think we are talking months rather than weeks."
Mr Munro also praised the "extremely successful" furniture Bring and Give scheme that was set up in the aftermath of the floods. People from all over the Mearns have been donating items from cookers and sofas to kettles and hair dryers for the people who need it.
On Tuesday March 16 there will be an exhibition at the Flood Support Centre at the MRI between 2pm and 7pm to give people advice on flood resilience and give them the chance to view products that are available to prevent flooding such as floodgates. They will also be given advice on how to protect property from flooding on a regular basis. The exhibition is open to everyone.
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Weather for Stonehaven
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Heavy rain
Temperature: -0 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 43 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 1 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: West
