Victims of flooding in Dundee during Storm Babet are demanding action and answers after their homes were left destroyed.
More than a dozen houses on Heron Rise in Claverhouse have been abandoned after the Dighty Burn burst its banks on Friday.
Now the residents say they feel like they have been swept aside by Dundee City Council – both before and after the flooding.
The council says it has worked “tirelessly” to help those affected.
Euan Cameron watched from his living room window as the water flooded the street.
‘We need a physical barrier’
The 68-year-old told The Courier: “It’s the first time any flooding has ever reached my house.
“There are probably around 15 houses totally ruined along the street.
“We need action. In the past the council have tried to suggest floodgates, but that’s never going to solve the problem.
“We need a physical barrier between Heron Rise, the Dighty and the ponds – how they do it, that’s up to them.
“We need it in order to reassure the insurance companies that we’re doing everything we can, otherwise the value of the houses will plummet.”
The only flooding Euan experienced was in his basement, but he has described the terrifying sight of watching the Dighty tear through the street.
He said: “It was ferocious, you wouldn’t have a chance walking through it.
“If any kid had gone in that water they would have been gone.
“It poses a real threat to life and it could completely destroy houses.
“Something has to be done about it.”
Dundee residents ‘livid’ with response to flooding
Simon Goulding was one of several Heron Rise residents forced to flee their home.
Speaking on Sunday, 48 hours after being evacuated, the 56-year-old said: “The Dundee City Council resilience team have not even been here yet.
“They set up a care shelter at DISC, which we couldn’t even get to if we wanted to. because of the road closures and flooding.
“I’m absolutely livid.
“The response to the flooding at Heron Rise has been a joke.”
Fellow resident Gordon Hunter, who had his home totally destroyed by the floodwater, also questioned the response from the local authority.
He said: “I think it’s an assumption that everyone has insurance, but if they actually took the time to ask they would find out not everyone does.
“They came at 7am on Friday with a pallet of sandbags when the water was already halfway up the street.
“Surely someone knew by that time that sandbags weren’t going to do a thing.
“It feels like we’ve been forgotten about.”
Dundee City Council addresses flooding response
A spokesperson for Dundee City Council said: “Partners in the city, including the council, have worked tirelessly over the past few days to assist people whose homes have been damaged, including the opening of a 24-hour rest centre and offer of transport to it.
“Advice and support was also provided by emergency service colleagues on evacuation in the areas worst affected by flooding, including Heron Rise.
“Our community safety wardens were among the many responders who were at Heron Rise to assist residents during the storm.
“The area was a key focus for all agencies involved in the response.”
The spokesperson says Storm Babet was “one of the most significant weather events to have hit this area in recent years”.
They added: “As we have seen here and elsewhere in eastern Scotland, the speed and scale of the flood water was unprecedented and overcame every effort to hold it back.
“In the last few days, we have been alerted to numerous incidents including dozens of fallen trees, road closures across the city and damage to large numbers of council and private properties.
“Storm Babet has been incredibly challenging for all the responding agencies.
“We, of course, understand how distressing it is for any resident who has had to leave their home and has suffered significant loss of property due to flood waters.
“During the recovery phase, we and our partners will continue to provide support and review any additional actions that can be taken to mitigate the impact of large-scale weather events of this kind in future.”
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