The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
£420m flood scheme to defend vulnerable villages
Sepa warning service Floodline extended across the country
Flood-hit towns and villages across the north and northeast have had their defences bolstered following the launch of a £420 million warning scheme.
Sepa has extended its Floodline service across the country, meaning 2,589 vulnerable properties across Aberdeenshire, Orkney and Angus will be given extra protection.
The environmental agency has said the initiative will provide accurate and advanced warning to help prepare a further 19 priority areas in the event of major floods such as those experienced by Orkney last December and Stonehaven in 2014 and 2012.
The 24-hour service provides up-to-date forecasts and alerts to first responders, the emergency services and councils.
Sepa launched the scheme at an event in Kirkwall yesterday, just months after the islands were battered by floods brought on by Storm Caroline.
More than 90 per cent of Orkney is at risk from deluge from the sea during severe weather.
Sarah Taylor, who lives in Stromness, watched as her seafront home was devastated by a storm surge in January 2005.
She said the scheme would reassure residents that they would be protected against similar situations, adding: “We didn’t have time to save any belongings on the ground floor, including Christmas presents or the food from our freezer, the sea just rose up and filled the house.
“Advance warning will be very worthwhile because it gives you the ability to plan ahead, move your valuables out of harm’s way.
“We’re very lucky that we have such a strong, supportive community around us – we help each other when the worst weather hits, and with a day or two’s notice, it gives us ample time to check in on our more vulnerable locals and prepare for what might be coming.”
New schemes will also cover coastline stretches at Inverallochy and St Combs, St Fergus Gas Terminal, Peterhead to Boddam, Port Errol to Newburgh, Aberdeen, Stonehaven, and Inverbervie – covering a total of 147 miles and 1,268 households and businesses.
Stonehaven has been badly hit by coastal flooding in recent years, with scores of people forced to flee their homes in 2014 and 2012 when waves battered the beach front.
Experts have said that rising sea levels and extreme weather events will place 169,000 homes and businesses in Scotland at risk of flooding by 2080. Hundreds of properties were left without water in an Aberdeenshire town yesterday.
About 900 homes in the Auchterellon area of Ellon had no running water from 1.30pm for several hours.
Engineers arrived on the scene just after 2pm, discovering a nine-inch burst in a water main in a field on the northwestern edge of the town.
Last night between 20 and 30 homes were still without water.
A Scottish Water spokesman said: “Scottish Water operatives were on site after reports of a disruption to supply for some customers in Ellon this afternoon.
“A team will carry out a repair as quickly as possible. We thank customers for their patience.”