Jim Philp on flood damage
feet out of bed in the downstairs bedroom he was plunged up to his knees in water.
He and wife Kate were devastated to discover their cottage was not covered by the policy they took out in January. They have no idea how they will find £20,000 to fix their home.
Mr Philp said: “We’ll need a new kitchen, the bathroom needs redone and all the floorboards will need fixed. But our insurance company doesn’t want to know because we’re not covered for this sort of event. One of the worst things was the whole house was covered in silt and muck.”
Mrs Philp said the only positive has been help from the tight-knit former mining community.
“After the flood, friends and neighbours kindly gave us things like a washing machine and an oven because we’ve no choice but to stay in the house,” she said.
A few doors along, Dennis and Yvonne Currie were woken on the night of the flood by their 10-month-old grandson crying as water soaked his travel cot.
The bungalow where they have lived for 36 years was covered with vile-smelling silt. They believe there are now rats in their roof as a result, and are staying with family.
Also unbeknown to them, there was a clause in their home insurance excluding flood damage due to a storm.
It will cost an estimated £38,940 to repair their property and replace possessions gathered over a lifetime. When they asked Fife Council for help, they were given a crisis payment of £69.
Their daughter Lauren
An aerial view of Cardenden under water
Grybowski said: “They’re at the age and stage when they should be putting their feet up. It’s soul-destroying.”
Others on the street have also lost treasured possessions which can never be replaced.
Jill Polanski, 39, was widowed in 2013 when her husband Matt died in a motorbike accident aged 30.
Her wedding photos and a handwritten letter from the transplant recipient of Matt’s kidney and pancreas were destroyed in the flood.
Mrs Polanski, who was not insured for flood damage because the Den Burn is so close to her three-bedroom house, said: “The one thing I wanted to cling to was our home. This was our family home. It was where we planned to grow old together. I always felt safe here but I’m not sure I do now. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”
The only comfort for flood-hit families has been the support of neighbours and community efforts aiming to raise funds and fight to make sure the burn – which is usually just a few inches deep – never overflows again.
Kirkcaldy-based builders Raeburn Construction volunteered diggers to clear debris from the burn the morning after the flood and local tradesmen have offered to help householders. Residents have also formed the Cardenden Community Flood Resilience Group, led by George Zielinski, whose own house was also flooded.
The group had tried to hold a meeting with the council and other officials at the pub on the street but it was cancelled for breaching Covid-19 guidance on gatherings.
Mr Zielinski said: “The best way to describe it was a tsunami effect coming through the back gardens and tearing into houses. It’s causing a lot of tension and uncertainty for residents. It’s not just the physical damage, it’s the emotional impact.
“We’re fundraising for those most in need and working for future safeguarding so we’re not at the mercy of this burn.”
The fundraising campaign is being spearheaded by Laura Gibson, owner of Gibson’s Barber Shop in the village and a family friend of the Curries.
Businesses including Amazon, which has a distribution centre in Dunfermline, have also pledged donations to help out.
Mrs Gibson said: “People’s homes have been destroyed. Then for the residents to be told their insurance companies were rejecting their claims, it was just unbelievable.”