Angus Council chiefs say they are already looking at how and when they will be able to rehome hundreds of people forced out of their homes by the Storm Babet carnage.
The local authority’s risk and resilience chief Jacqui Semple says the council has begun the process of assessing the damage to people’s properties.
About 335 homes in Brechin, along with 87 homes in Tannadice and Finavon, were evacuated.
Ms Semple admits it is not yet possible to say when those affected will be able to return – but she promised the council is looking at how to help everyone in affected areas.
Council will speak to Scottish Government
Other key points from the council’s media update on Saturday included the wider damage to infrastructure locally, as well as the economic and financial impact on Angus as a result of Storm Babet.
And Ms Semple revealed Angus Council will speak to the Scottish Government as it looks at how to finance the recovery.
Giving a full update around 48 hours after Storm Babet hit, Ms Semple said it was an improving picture but admitted the county still isn’t out of the woods.
She said: “There is still a lot of rain to come and a lot of water to still hit our rivers from higher up while there remains a lot of lying water.
“We are continuing to monitor the situation.”
Rest centres closing
In the meantime, the council has closed the rest centre at Montrose Sports Centre and the centre at Forfar Community Campus is currently under review.
Brechin Community Campus, where more than 50 people took refuge on Friday, remains open on Saturday but may be closed on Sunday but only once alternative accommodation has been found for everyone.
Ms Semple said the main priority now is assessing the overall damage to homes and she promised the council would look to help everyone affected whether they are council tenants, housing association tenants or private home owners.
She continued: “We don’t have exact figures yet of those affected but we will help everyone impacted by the flooding with the recovery process.”
The council is looking into the possibility of securing funding and grants and are working with partners including the Scottish Flood Forum.
She added: “We will also be speaking with the Scottish Government and using whatever means are needed to support people.
“Some properties have been more affected than others and we are aware that some people have no insurance but that is something we are looking into.
“Our priority in the meantime is to make sure everyone has secure accommodation as we then begin to assess how badly some homes have been affected.
“However, we can’t yet say when people will be able to return to their own homes although we completely understand that people are anxious to know.”
