Storm Gertrude’s impact on Tayside and Fife may be winding down, but it has left severe damage in its wake.
DundeeSome of the strongest wind speeds were recorded in Dundee, where properties were damaged as 80mph winds tore through the city in the early hours.
Roofs were ripped from buildings, including flats near the Al-Maktoum college in Blackness Road, with debris smashing into neighbouring homes.
Part of DC Thomson’s roof on the Kingsway was also torn free, with the debris coming to rest in the middle of the road.
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There was further masonry damage around St Paul’s Cathedral in the city centre and the Apex Hotel at City Quay had a section of wall blown off.
Fortunately, no-one was injured in any of the incidents.
Fencing and billboards around the waterfront area were also torn down andDundee City Council staff are working at numerous sites across the city to assess and clear damage.
The Forth Road Bridge and Tay Road Bridge were both closed to all traffic for most of the morning, although the Tay reopened to cars and single-decker buses shortly before 11am.
Recent repairs to the Forth Road Bridge meant it needed extra checks before it could reopen. The restrictions caused significant disruption to motorists, among them Prime Minister David Cameron, who was making his way to Edinburgh Airport for EU talks in Brussels.Perth and KinrossThe Tay Road Bridge closure meant the Friarton Bridge at Perth was busier than usual and traffic there was badly disrupted as police dealt with an overturned lorry.
There were a number of reported accidents on the Perth bypass as queuing traffic built up.
Parts of Perth and Kinross remain affected by power cuts that have left hundreds of homes with electricity and telephone lines have also been cut off.
That has forced the temporary closure of a number of schools and nurseries and a number will be closed until next week.
Many roads have been closed by flooding or fallen trees.
Engineers are at work across the region, particularly in northern parts, to return power to homes. Welfare vans have been sent to some villages bringing hot food and drink.AngusA number of rural routes in Angus were blocked by falling trees, including the B961 near Newbigging and outside Letham Cemetery near Forfar.
Roads in the Carrot Hill area were also closed due to fallen trees.FifeFife Council said there were 21 reports of fallen trees received across its region between 5.30am and 11.30am, although all of those instances had been dealt with and that none had led to road closures.
Schools in Fife were also affected by the weather and teachers at Kirkland High School in Methil had to send pupils home almost as soon as they arrived after it emerged there was structural damage to the school’s roof.
Headteacher Ronnie Ross swiftly made arrangements to get youngsters home when the decision was taken to close the school early on health and safety grounds, but many parents were left with an unexpected childcare headache.
Meanwhile, some other pupils across Fife were forced to make alternative arrangements to get to school after bus company Festival Travel suffered damage to its depot in Kirkliston.
A power line is understood to have come down outside the yard entrance, and only a few of its pupil transport coaches were able to leave.
As a result, the company said it would not be able to collect pupils for Inverkeithing, Dunfermline and Balwearie High Schools, as well as St John’s, Masterton and Donibristle Primary Schools.
A spokesperson for Fife Council apologised for any inconvenience caused.
Elsewhere, an area of Burntisland High Street had to be cordoned off during the morning amid concerns about falling masonry.
The area around the Waverley Caf was declared unsafe and the police and fire service attended initially to partially close the road.
Fife Council’s building standards and public safety service arrived on the scene and used cherry pickers to reach the part of the buildings causing the most concern.
Householders across the region will also have been left to pick up the pieces, with the high winds causing damage to tiles and slates on buildings.
And, over in Dunfermline, firefighters worked through the difficult weather conditions to reposition a caravan that had blown over in Rosyth shortly before 8.20am.
No-one was injured in the incident.For more, see Saturday’s Courier.