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Heartbroken Cupar family vow never to return to home devastated by Storm Gerrit

Precious family mementos were lost as the home was submerged by 2ft of floodwater.

Andrew McIntosh at the family home in Kinloss Crescent, ruined by Storm Gerrit.
Andrew McIntosh at the family home in Kinloss Crescent, ruined by Storm Gerrit. Image: Kenny Smith/DC Thomson

A heartbroken Cupar family say they will never return to their house after it was devastated by Storm Gerrit.

Andrew McIntosh’s family home for the past 24 years was one of several on Kinloss Crescent to be flooded when the nearby burn broke its banks on Wednesday.

Mr McIntosh, 35, said the flooding was by far the worst he had ever seen.

At the height of Storm Gerrit, floodwater rose so quickly that he said he had just minutes to get his father and pet dogs out of the property.

Cupar home submerged by floodwater caused by Storm Gerrit

Floodwater rose to around two feet deep, ruining practically everything on the ground floor.

Andrew McIntosh surveys the damage to his kitchen by Storm Gerrit flooding.
Andrew McIntosh surveys the damage to his kitchen. Image: Neil Henderson/DC Thomson
Mud left from the floodwater in the kitchen.
Mud left from the floodwater in the kitchen. Image: Neil Henderson/DC Thomson

Much of the furniture, ornaments and family mementoes that couldn’t be taken upstairs have been destroyed.

On Thursday morning, Mr McIntosh entered his home for the first time since the floodwater had subsided.

Accompanied by his sister and other relatives, he said it was “soul-destroying” to see his home ruined.

He told The Courier: “We are broken, it’s just so heartbreaking to see the amount of damage.

“It’s bad enough to lose possessions such as furniture but the worst thing is we’ve lost family mementoes that were my late mother’s.

Precious family mementoes destroyed

“We lost mum in 2021 during Covid.

“Photographs and belongings that we have to remember her have been destroyed by the flood.

“It’s heartbreaking to see.

The mud-covered living room.
The mud-covered living room. Image: Neil Henderson/DC Thomson
Andrew McIntosh outside his family home.
Andrew McIntosh outside his family home. Image: Neil Henderson/DC Thomson

“My father has already vowed he’ll never return to the house he once shared with his wife.

“He said to come back after all that has been lost is just too difficult.”

Mr McIntosh said the Storm Gerrit floodwater rose rapidly – first up across the garden before eventually running into the house.

A car parked on the drive was also damaged by the water, which reached waist height.

He added: “We had a few sandbags left from the flooding we had here in November but it wasn’t enough.

“I’ve even lost vital supplies of medication that I need but it’s the loss of my mum’s things that can’t be replaced that hurts the most.

Family say they won’t return to their home of 24 years

“I’m just glad she wasn’t here to witness the house she made a home for us all ruined like this.”

Much of Kinloss Crescent was still covered in thick brown mud as the clean-up operation began.

Council workers start the clean-up of the Kinloss Crescent area of Cupar after Storm Gerrit
Council workers start the clean-up of the area. Image: Kenny Smith/DC Thomson

A resident in nearby Skinners Steps said he had found his dustbin in the next street after it was washed away.

He said the flooding was the worst he’d ever experienced.

He said: “Water was at least three feet deep and everything in my garden got swept away.

“We get flooding a lot here from the burn but never as bad as this.

“It’s time a proper solution was found to solve the problem.

“We can’t go on fearing the worst every time it rains.”

Elsewhere in Cupar Mohamed Iqbal, owner of Ali’s Discount Superstore on Skinners Steps for the past 17 years, said his shop had been destroyed by the storm.

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