We’re having to rely on charity of others
Flood family’s financial nightmare
A family stretched to breaking point have been forced to ask the community for help after their home in Perth was ravaged by the August floods.
Terri Doris and Stuart Higgins, plus their two small children, were flooded out of their private property in Wallace Crescent when two to three feet of water from a storm on August 12 swamped the ground floor.
The couple now face a bill of up to £50,000, but their insurance company is so far refusing to pay out.
The family had to move themselves and their two cats to a rented property at Perth Airport while their soaked belongings have been kept in storage.
Key worker Terri (36), a NHS pharmacy technician and mum to Gracie (4) and Rhubie (2), has been unable to work since the flood incident but her partner Stuart (36) continues a 50-hour week with a tyre company.
Signing a six-month lease on their temporary accommodation, plus electric bills in the damaged house to run dehumidifiers, are unexpected costs on top of their mortgage.
Terri is having to sell her car for a cheaper one and is rationing journeys from Scone to Perth to save money.
All the while, her two young children are constantly asking when they can “go back home”.
The mum told the PA she and her partner are living through a “nightmare” and the constant worry had left her unable to sleep.
They have now felt forced to start a crowdfunder to try and end their nightmare.
Terri said: “The house is a wreck. It requires walls to be taken down, floors up and to be dried out for weeks before work can even begin.
“We have never claimed via insurance for anything before and the one time we really needed them, they let us down.
“We are now in an awful situation having to pay private rent, mortgage and double utility bills. The cost of the repairs to the house and the work involved will not be possible for us to financially afford.
“This has been a very traumatic experience for us all, myself and my partner are stressed to the max, the kids are so unsettled.
“We just want this nightmare over with.”
Terri said a new front door would be just the start of the work urgently required.
They need a surveyor, joiners, plumbers, electricians, plasterer, painters and glaziers to get them back on track.
“I cannot believe myself and my partner are having to rely on the kindness and charity of others,” she added. “We are proud people so this has taken a lot of courage to do. It’s a position we never thought we would be in.
“I would also like to thank all the people that have donated already and for the offers of help.
“Everyone has been so generous.” Terri, who estimates a final bill of between £30,000 and £50,000, has requested Perth and Kinross Council buy the property back, fearing it could be flooded again.
A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said: “Perth and Kinross Council understands that many residents have suffered because of flooding in August and how difficult the situation remains, in particular for those who have had to leave their homes.
“As this is a privately-owned property, the owners are primarily responsible for protecting their home from flooding and it is for them to reach an agreement with their insurers.
“The council’s buy-back scheme is currently suspended because of coronavirus.
“Officers visited properties affected by flooding in the wake of August’s storms and provided information on where they could go for assistance. The Scottish Flood Forum has also been helping to support residents in the area.
“The flooding situation was reported to the council’s environment and infrastructure committee on August 19 and as a result, the council will be looking at what action needs to be taken to address future flood risk.”
Terri said Scottish Water supplied dehumidifiers but she has been “constantly chasing things up” and is still waiting for someone to contact her regarding a clean-up.
A spokesperson from Scottish Water said: “The severe storm that affected Perth in the early hours of August 12 was significantly in excess of the capabilities of all urban drainage systems, including the sewer network that Scottish Water operates and maintains.
“In the aftermath of events like this, we seek to do all we can to assist customers who are affected by sewer flooding with cleaning up. Where widespread flooding has occurred, this puts our teams under significant pressure; and we are sorry when this results in us being unable to give the level of service to customers that we would wish to provide in these circumstances. We aim to learn from these incidents and improve the way we respond as far as we can.”
So far over £5000 has come in but the family has asked for help meeting the £20,000 target. The link to the family’s appeal is at https://www.gofundme. com/f/family-in-need-of-helpflooded-house