It was just past lunchtime when Brechin residents first learned of the possibility they could be evacuated from their homes due to Storm Babet.
But this development did not reach them through the Angus Council social media channels, nor through traditional means such as a phone call or a text message.
The UK’s biggest TV stations, having apparently been briefed by the authorities, made the announcements on Twitter, rolling news coverage and mobile phone updates.
“BREAKING: All residents in Brechin, Scotland, have been asked to evacuate due to Storm Babet floods,” screamed Sky News on X, with the associated video racking up nearly 300,000 views.
“Entire Scottish town told to leave as rare red warning issued over Storm Babet,” roared the Sky push notification sent to Apple users.
Locals in the dark
The Courier immediately made calls to residents in the area, as well as the council.
But several locals we spoke to had simply NO idea about the severity of the situation and were in the dark about evacuation plans for the town, which has a population of around 7,200.
Angus council chiefs also didn’t seem to know exactly what was happening.
When we reached the council leader Beth Whiteside around 1pm she said no final decision had been taken but confirmed 360 homes could be affected. Another Brechin councillor repeated this stance.
But just moments later, a council press officer told us staff were in the process of going door-to-door asking people to evacuate.
In a further call half an hour later, as national reports continued to report a full town-wide evacuation, Ms Whiteside again said a decision was not made but that residents who may be impacted would be “contacted individually”.
Sepa – whose unit manager Pascal Lardet had earlier name-checked Brechin in a flooding report on the BBC – tried to distance itself from evacuation talk.
Evacuations, the organisation said, were decided by the police and fire service.
‘How are families meant to make decisions?’
Meanwhile Brechin residents, understandably perturbed by TV reports suggesting they should all be leaving their house, were turning to The Courier for accurate information.
One concerned relative, whose grandmother stays near the at-risk area of the town, was furious about the handling of the crisis.
He said: “Where are the updates coming from?
“My dad and I are desperate for information, we’re worried sick and there is nothing official at all from Angus Council.
“With something as serious as this they should be putting something out.
“Their social feeds are a joke. How are families meant to make decisions?”
John Stewart, 82, was angry at Angus Council’s reaction to the weather chaos and vowed to refuse to leave his River Street house.
He told us: “I haven’t seen or heard from anyone in the council. I’m staying where I am.
“My wife is ill and she needs a proper bed to sleep on. She won’t be wanting to leave unless we’re made to.”
Helen Longmuir, who lives nearby in a house she has been in for 53 years, hadn’t heard a word from Sepa or the council and the only information she had received was through the media.
‘We’re staying put’
Amanda McNeill, the owner of the Bridge End bar, planned to keep her establishment open until told otherwise.
She said: “We haven’t had anyone in to tell us to close today.
“When it happened last year it was a farce. People were being told to evacuate the building in the middle of their meals and leave.
“At the same time you see a post of people walking up and down the street unbothered.
“We’re on a bit of an incline from the river so I doubt we’ll get much water. Until we’re told otherwise we’re staying put.”
Then, close to two-and-a-half hours after speculation began, Angus Council finally confirmed an evacuation in a statement.
“We have identified approximately 370 homes in Brechin, and additional homes in Tannadice and Finavon where residents will be asked to evacuate for their own safety,” it read.
It made its way on to the local authority’s Facebook page but failed to appear in front of their 18,000 followers on X, where the earlier misinformation remains.
‘I understand there will be frustrations’
At a 4pm press briefing, Angus leader Ms Whiteside saluted council workers for their efforts in a pre-planned statement while Jacqui Semple – chief of risk, resilience and safety – took the lead on answering questions.
Ms Semple said: “We try and communicate as much as we can with the information we have.
“We have to look at those most vulnerable first so we can make sure provisions are there for those who need it and people have to make an informed choice.
“I understand there will be frustration out there but we are dealing with an event that is unprecedented – not just in Angus but across Tayside.
“We are using a mixed approach, some people will be told by telephone but the majority of what we want to do is to have staff on the ground.
“Not only to knock on the doors but to provide visibility and assurance to the work we’re carrying out.”
At 5pm, the emergency reception centre at the town’s community campus was close to empty despite being in operation for two hours.
And many residents of flood-threatened River Street appeared to be ignoring the evacuation, with house lights being switched on as people settled down for the evening.
Angus was well warned of ‘risk to life’ conditions in the hours before Babet arrived.
Brechin expected – and deserved – communication clearer than the muddy torrent of the rising River South Esk yards from the doorstep of its most at-risk residents.
Conversation