Storm Babet: £37k raised for hard-hit town – but ‘long road to recovery’ ahead
Scotland’s first minister has pledged to support an Angus town that has been left devastated by Storm Babet.
On Monday, Humza Yousaf met those affected by the severe flooding in Brechin after the River South Esk burst its banks during the heavy rainfall.
Mr Yousaf warned that the clean-up would take some time but said the council would receive Scottish government funding to help with the recovery.
Speaking to a resident, he said: “We’ll support you as much as we can.”
He added: “It’s going to be a long road to recovery.”
Mr Yousaf speaking to residents
Six people across the UK have died as a result of Storm Babet.
Wendy Taylor, 57, was swept away in the Water of Lee, Glen Esk, on Thursday.
Ms Taylor, a director at Errol-based Taylors Snacks, previously known as Mackie’s, was described by her family as a “ray of sunshine” and a “beautiful, kind, funny and caring person”.
Maureen Gilbert, 83, also died after her home in Chesterfield flooded.
Her son told Sky News how he found her body floating in the water at the property.
Mr Yousaf thanked members of the emergency services and Angus Council for their efforts in responding to the flooding
On Thursday, Angus Council mobilised to evacuate hundreds of residents across the region that were at risk of flooding due to the downpour.
Rest centres were set up to accommodate all those forced to leave their homes.
In Brechin, the River South Esk breached defences and flooded River Street.
Brechin residents being evacuated during the storm
Councillor Gavin Nicol, who represents the Brechin and Edzell ward, has warned that some residents could be out of their homes “for months, if not permanently”.
During his visit to River Street, Mr Yousaf said he is yet to have a conversation with the UK government about funding.
Mr Yousaf speaking to Kim Clark as he looks at water damage in her house
He said: “I think it’s important that the assessments are done in terms of the scale of devastation, what the impacts will be and what funding is required.
“Then, of course, if necessary, we’ll have those conversations with the UK government.”
The first minister added: “I’m very keen to give an assurance to residents here that I’ve spoken to, to businesses here that I’ve spoken to, the government is there to support them as much as we can during the long road to recovery.”
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Brechin residents tell Sky’s Katerina Vittozzi that they are ‘upset and exhausted’ after flooding damaged their property
Read more:
Why Storm Babet brought so much rain
Meantime, two fundraisers have been set up for the Brechin residents affected by the storm.
Brechin Buccaneers, a charity cricket club, has raised more than £27,000 to help the townsfolk “rebuild their lives”.
Rosie Galloway looking at the flood water outside her property in Brechin
Local resident John Morrison has also set up a GoFundMe page, which has raised almost £10,000.
Mr Morrison told Sky News the money will be added to the Brechin Buccaneers fundraiser.
He said: “Things are going well under the circumstances. People in part have been able to access their homes to assess the damage.”
Mr Morrison praised the response to the flooding and said locals continue to rally round those affected by offering items to people in need.
He added: “The true community spirit continues as they start to rebuild.
“The donations have been overwhelming from the local community, but also reaching further afield from people who don’t live here.
“The generosity has been outstanding and humbling.”
Mr Morrison hopes the money raised will help “once the dust settles”.
He said: “Especially this close to Christmas too – people will have less. So if it brings a smile and warms a heart, then it’s met its aim.”
A £50,000 reward is being offered over the unsolved theft of a batch of early Scottish coins that were stolen 17 years ago.
More than 1,000 coins from the 12th and 13th centuries were taken from the home of Lord and Lady Stewartby in Broughton, near Peebles in the Scottish Borders, in June 2007.
The stolen haul spans a period of almost 150 years, from around 1136 when the first Scottish coins were minted during the reign of David I up to around 1280 and the reign of Alexander III.
The late Lord Stewartby entrusted the remainder of his collection to The Hunterian Museum at the University of Glasgow in 2017, but the missing coins have never been found.
Pic: Crimestoppers Scotland
Pic: Crimestoppers Scotland
Crimestoppers announced its maximum reward of £20,000 – which is available for three months until 27 February – in a fresh appeal on Wednesday. An anonymous donor is helping to boost the total reward amount to £50,000.
It is hoped it will prompt people to come forward with information which could lead to the recovery of the missing treasures and the conviction of those responsible for the crime.
Pic: Crimestoppers Scotland
Pic: Crimestoppers Scotland
Angela Parker, national manager at Crimestoppers Scotland, said Lord Stewartby’s haul was the “best collection of Scottish coins ever assembled by a private individual”.
Jesper Ericsson, curator of numismatics at The Hunterian, described the medieval coins as smaller than a modern penny.
He added: “Portraits of kings and inscriptions may be worn down to almost nothing and the coins might be oddly shaped, perhaps even cut in half or quarters.
“You could fit 1,000 into a plastic takeaway container, so they don’t take up a lot of space. They may look unremarkable, but these coins are the earliest symbols of Scotland’s monetary independence.
“They are of truly significant national importance. Their safe return will not only benefit generations of scholars, researchers, students and visitors to come, but will also right a wrong that Lord Stewartby never got to see resolved before he died.”
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Angela Parker, national manager at Crimestoppers Scotland, and Jesper Ericsson, curator of numismatics at The Hunterian. Pic: Crimestoppers Scotland
Mr Ericsson pleaded with whoever has the coins to “return them to where they belong”.
He added: “Give Scotland back its coins.”
Lady Stewartby said her husband, who was a renowned numismatist, was just five-years-old when he was given his first Scottish coin.
She added: “Over the next 50 years, he put together a collection which included some of the earliest Scottish coins.
“Lord Stewartby told me and our children that they represented Scotland’s history at a time when few people had access to books or pictures.”
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