A year on from Storm Babet, many in Brechin and the rest of Angus still counting the cost.
Financially – and emotionally – last October’s devastation took a heavy toll.
But what do we know so far about the money which came to Angus after the floodwaters subsided?
We asked Angus Council for a breakdown on support the area and its citizens received.
The immediate aftermath
Soon after the storm, families and businesses were told they would receive emergency funding.
Those were a lifeline payment of £1,500 to families and £3,000 to businesses.
A total of 201 families received grants. There were 40 payouts to businesses.
In total the scheme delivered £421,500.
The flood recovery grant scheme closed in January 2024.
The council said there had also been two further chunks of Holyrood funding.
£100,000 came from the Scottish Government homelessness budget 2023/24.
And a further £95k was provided for the Brechin post-flood and optioneering report.
Bellwin scheme
The other major source of recovery cash has been the Bellwin scheme.
It is another government scheme set up to support councils after emergency incidents.
The fund will only pay for damage directly resulting from situations such as severe weather.
Angus Council submitted an interim claim totalling £6.9 million. To date, £5.7m has been paid by the Scottish Government.
Bellwin monies helped repair vital Brechin Bridge, which was closed for almost four months due to structural damage.
Further claims were lodged after Storm Gerrit and Storm Isha/Jocelyn.
The council received just £13,000 of a £64k claim for damage caused by Gerrit.
And it has been paid nothing to date from a £254k Isha/Jocelyn claim.
Another known cost is the spend so far on repairs to Bridge of Dun.
The A-listed 240-year-old bridge remains closed after the River South Esk tore a hole in the crossing.
To date, the engineering and repair bill is almost £250k. But it will likely rise significantly before the historic structure is fully restored.
And the council still faces major financial challenges in dealing with the storm’s legacy.
Not least of those is the future of 60 local authority homes stuill unoccupied in the worst-hit area of River Street in Brechin.
An options report is due to be presented to councillors early next month.
But locals have already been warned it will not bring definite answers to many questions they still have. It remains to be seen what financial projections will be included in the document.
Angus anger over silence in storm aftermath
And the anniversary is likely to see frustrations resurface around the level of support the area has received.
Those emerged within weeks of the disaster.
Former First Minister Humza Yousaf visited the town days after Babet struck.
However, it was almost a month before an Scottish Government ministerial taskforce met for the first time.
By then the patience of former Angus Council chief executive Margo Williamson was stretched beyond breaking point.
At the end of October last year she sent an email to a top government figure raising concerns about the lack of communication or support.
This week we are taking a look back at the impact of Storm Babet on October 19 2023.
It includes reflections of Brechin pensioners Ian and Jane Stewart who were forced out of their home for 10 months by the floodwaters.
Conversation