June Soutar is, by her own admission, an emotional wreck.
The stress of coping with Storm Babet has taken its toll on the former senior staff nurse.
June, 61, lost her job and had to use all her savings to put her house back together after it was deluged by flood water during the disaster on October 19 last year.
She lost everything – furniture, carpets, clothing, white goods, and treasured photos of her family were covered in contaminated, muddy water.
A year on, her ground-floor flat on East Mill Road is still not habitable.
I find June attempting to tidy things away when I visit. She looks washed out and exhausted.
“I’ve never known stress like this, and I’ve been a nurse 44 years,” she laments.
“This is very hard, mentally. I don’t know how those who’ve flooded four or five times have coped.
“I’ve not been coping well for months and with losing my job due to ill health, I’ve had to use all my savings. I just don’t know how I’m going to manage.”
June officially stopped working at Stonehaven’s Kincardine Community Hospital in September – due to ill health.
She puts this down purely to stress endured in the aftermath of Storm Babet.
Disaster resulted in massive stress
“I’ve never had any mental health issues until this,” she says.
“I developed an autoimmune skin condition which is caused by stress.
“Money is tight. The insurance has rocketed. I’ve had to get rid of my car as I can’t afford the payments.”
When her insurance company refused to replace flood-damaged plasterboard covered in mould – and claimed “pre-existing” damp was to blame, June turned to the Ombudsman. Alas, the body was unable to help.
“They said I’d a stressful job so couldn’t blame the insurance company for my mental and physical health,” she elaborates.
Storm Babet had huge impact on Brechin residents
Initially, the insurance company refused to replace her kitchen units, despite the fact they were warped and split.
“It’s been a constant fight,” says June. “I ended up getting a cash settlement but I still haven’t got all the money.”
Like many Brechin flood victims, June is fearful of being deluged again.
In a bid to put her mind at rest, she spent £18,000 of her own money “tanking” – essentially damp-proofing – the foundations of her home.
“All my savings are gone,” she says.
“If it helps prevent another flood then it’s worth investing in.”
So as the anniversary of Storm Babet approaches, how does she feel?
“Things are progressing but I’m very apprehensive about the future.
“It doesn’t help that the council isn’t giving us any answers. We’re waiting on results of this flood survey and news on what they’re going to do.
“As far as I’m aware, the wall that came down at the Inch Park isn’t being mended as it’s ‘not part of the flood defences’.
“Everything seems to be focused on repairing the heritage bridge.”
June is slowly getting there, with help from her brother, a joiner, and local tradespeople.
Reassurance sought in wake of Storm Babet
Her daughter, Kerry Paterson worries for her mum’s health.
“We feel more should be done to prevent this happening again,” she says.
“We’re a year on – you’d hope there’d be answers and some form of reassurance.”
Kerry believes the River South Esk should be dredged.
“They say they can’t dredge it because of mussels, otter and other wildlife. But surely it would be better to relocate mussels than have 300-odd people out of their homes?”
Sense of hope at getting home
David and Isla Scott hope to return to their home at East Mill House Gardens by the end of November.
The couple are filled with a strong sense of hope, inspired by their weeping fig tree’s very own story of survival.
Pointing to the tree in question, which is the epitome of health, David says: “After the flood, it was a sorry state, lying down with no leaves.
“But we picked it back up, watered it, put it outside over summer, and it burst into life.”
Couple trapped in attic
The couple’s story of hope is a far cry from a year ago when they were trapped in the attic with their two dogs as their home was engulfed by rising flood waters.
They were eventually rescued by boat, but it was a terrifying three-hour wait.
Since then, they’ve been living in rental accommodation in Brechin.
Retired engineer David says the couple racked up electricity bills of £4,000 thanks to drying equipment running 24/7.
That is sure to rise, with tradesmen in most days in a mission to reconstruct their house.
“It’s taking so long,” says David. “Sometimes the contractors are away for weeks or months. We don’t get told much, so we keep at them.”
Looking forward to returning
The smell of fresh paint wafts from the house, and the noise of drilling and hammering is surely inspirational.
There are various delays – a condemned stove, which was “underwater”, needs replaced, and there’s a wait for carpets and doors.
David visits his house every day, on hand to help workers with any questions, and chipping away at odd jobs himself, such as putting up curtain rails.
He keenly awaits the result of a survey on why his home flooded during that fateful weekend. It had never done so in the 30 years he’s lived there.
What if flood happens again?
“Ask anyone flooded what they’re worried about most and the answer is – what if this happens again, and what will they do about it?” he says.
“So we want some sort of reassurance. We need to know what they’re going to do.”
The stress has taken its toll on David and Isla, with both of them losing weight.
“I’ve gone from a 34 waist to a 30!” exclaims David. “Isla’s lost weight, too. There’s so much on our minds.
“It’s hard for our dogs at the rented place as they’re not used to going up and down stairs.
“But we’re pretty hopeful. Every day we’re closer to getting back in. And thankfully our insurance company has been good.”
Isla is desperate to get home. “They said the work would take 18 weeks but it’s a lot longer than that. It’s pretty unsettling being out of your house so long.”
‘We just want to feel settled’
Ian and Jane Stewart’s house on River Street was among the worst hit by flooding.
When I visited the couple’s home eight weeks after the disaster, the smell – of damp, rot and mould – took my breath away.
This time, there’s an uplifting aroma – of fresh paint, flooring and wallpaper.
The couple moved back in August, 10 months after Storm Babet struck.
While their insurance has almost trebled, they say the company has been “fantastic”.
But returning to their home has been a bittersweet experience.
They’ve been forced to tackle contractors over “poor workmanship”, with floors lifting, doors not fitting, and wallpaper falling off.
“It’s like living in a building site,” says retired baker Ian, 84. “It’s been a hell of a time.
“We want things the way we had them. We take pride in our house, so when you see poor workmanship, it’s upsetting.”
Jane agrees: “It’s a mess. How can they say that’s finished?” she says, pointing to a door hinged to plaster board.
“When are they coming to make good the things that haven’t been done properly?
“We just wanted to be settled for Christmas.”
Conversation