PETITION URGES FLOODS INQUIRY
ALMOST 800 people in Stonehaven have signed a petition demanding an independent local public inquiry into the November 1 floods which ripped through the town last year.
789 people put their names to the petition organised by Cameron Street resident Lil Wood, whose home was affected by the floods. She has dismissed the suggestion that the floods were an act of God and believes their severity could have been mitigated.
Mrs Wood said: "There needs to be an inquiry because we all need answers. Everything has been forgotten about. The shops are starting to open again but people are still not in their homes. I am one of the lucky ones.
"We pay our community charges like everyone and we want to feel safe in our own homes. We want to know that drains are being cleared and that flood gates are taken care of."
She said: "People know there is nothing happening - everyone is terrified as soon as it starts raining heavily again. I hope that this inquiry gets answers and that the flooding never happens again, that the council keep on top of the drains and the flood gates, and that when people come back into their homes they do not feel that they are frightened to leave them. Now, if it is raining I'm likely not to go out because I'm frightened to leave my home.
"It makes me very angry when people say it is time to move on. These people cannot move on until they are back in their homes again."
West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MSP Alex Johnstone has pushed for an inquiry for months.
He said: "I think this petition proves that there is a genuine concern about what happened and that people want to get to the bottom of it. I think people like Lil and others in the area were horrified at what happened on November 1 and we are really no nearer to understanding why it happened today then we were three months ago.
"If we are going to protect the areas of the town that were affected, we need as broad an understanding as possible and that takes, in my view, an independant inquiry. I have a concern that many of the agencies involved were too concerned about protecting themselves rather than finding out what the problem is."
Mr Johnstone added: "My intention in the first instance is to copy this petition and send it to Aberdeenshire Council and also to the Scottish Government - to Roseanna Cunningham, who is the minister responsible for flooding - and then to see what their reaction is to this petition. After I have got an initial reaction from the council and the minister, I will speak to Lil again about the possibility of placing this in the hands of the Scottish Parliament Petition Committee."
Stonehaven Community Council chairman David Fleming, said: "This is a wonderful effort and shows the strength of feeling in the town that we do need to get to the bottom of all that happened on the night and make sure that preventative action is taken for the future."
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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
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