The head of Aberdeenshire Council has applauded the “grit and determination” shown by residents of the north-east in the 12 months since the floods.
Local authority chief executive, Jim Savege, said he had been “bowled over” by the hard work and community spirit shown across the region in the wake of Storm Frank.
He also said he is confident that government funding could be secured to provide any future flood defence schemes which may be required in Aberdeenshire – though they could still be many years down the line.
Mr Savege had first-hand experience in dealing with major flooding prior to Storm Frank.
He was the director for environment and community services at Cumbria County Council in 2009 when record rainfall hit the area.
He said: “I have dealt with floods, I have dealt with them here now, I have to say I’d like to not have to deal with them again.
“So it wasn’t an unusual, unfortunately, experience for me to have to contend with. But I hadn’t dealt with it in Aberdeenshire and what is the complete unknown was about how business and community would respond to these circumstances.
“And I have been absolutely bowled over by the resilience and grit and determination that everybody has shown, and the partnership working that I think is a real hallmark of Aberdeenshire.
“People have bounced back and got on with it, have supported each other, and it has been really impressive.”
The councils’ flood bill has now topped £11.5million, with 170 residents still out of their homes following Storm Frank.
The council is due to commission studies to look into “long term” solutions in flood-hit areas come Spring 2017.
Mr Savege said: “That will take a couple of years to do those studies and it won’t be until 2022 until we will have the opportunity to bid for further government funding for defences that we think are going to be needed.
“So absolutely, it has been a busy year, but the work is absolutely still underway.
“We have seen recently that we have been given money for the Huntly and Stonehaven flood schemes, from government, and if this same trends continues then I have got no reason to doubt that the needs of Aberdeenshire communities in terms of flood defences will be met by government budgets.”
