A flood-hit village has once again come together to support each other.
Ballater was one of several areas issued with a severe flood warning on Friday – the first time the alerts had been issued since Storm Frank.
That storm devastated Ballater, with scores of homes and businesses destroyed.
Yesterday, Sepa warned water levels could be the same as Storm Frank and would peak overnight.
But by the afternoon, a “forceful stream” of water was already running through the village with many residents fearing their homes would be flooded.
The Deeside village was one of the places most badly affected when Storm Frank hit, but seven years later many residents feel more prepared for the severe weather.
Fortunately, the persistent and heavy rain this week did not have as significant an impact.
Caravan park evacuated
Water started to build up at Ballater Caravan Park in the morning and eventually the whole area was covered by several feet.
Putting into action an exercise that was suggested in the aftermath of Storm Frank, all of the caravans on site were evacuated to other areas of the village.
Stan and Karen Crate were staying at the park and stepped up to help with the evacuation mission yesterday, which they said was fortunately “not much of a panic”.
He said: “Others came down to help too. We all came together and got the job done. We had to use grinders to cut some of the locks off, but no vans were damaged and everybody was safe.
“The pitches from the toilet block over to 29 were all lost, and we turned the power off before the water got too deep, so now it’s a case of tidying everything up.”
Nearby the caravan park, a man was spending his day clearing out his parents’ home, including ripping out water-logged carpets, after flood water made its way inside yesterday.
‘Folk come together’
A number of roads were left “drowning” due to the heavy rain which triggered a response from the emergency services, including police and fire crews.
Homes and businesses on the streets still had flood defenses and sandbags outside their doors today following another night of persistent rainfall.
Alistair Cassie, who has run his hardware store on Bridge Street for more than 40 years, said the community spirit is ever present in the village.
He said: “With this type of incident it’s amazing how folk come together to help. And, without any real push, they just do it off their own back. It’s a small community, and everybody helps everybody.
“It’s nothing like Storm Frank, I’d say it’s more similar to some summer storms we’ve had. So, it’s not new but not something we want to see so often. Ballater is on the floodplains, and nature always wins.”
Support for all who need it
A number of rest centres were set up across Aberdeenshire, including one at the Victoria and Albert Hall in Ballater.
Many were lucky to escape flood damage to their homes, but did have to deal with power outages caused by the stormy weather.
Engineers from SSEN remained in Ballater on Saturday to reconnect the final properties.
A food truck is still set upside for people without power to get a hot meal and drink, while the hall is open to keep people warm.
Linda Drever, primary coordinator for the Ballater Resilience Group, said they had about 50 people at a time in the hall yesterday.
“This is not as bad in volume as Storm Frank, but for those affected it’s not good. Especially for those dealing with it for a second time.
“We had no idea what the extent would be, so we’ve had volunteers on standby but we did not need them in the end. Local restaurants and cafes have been donating food as well, mainly baked goods.”
The Ballater Resilience Group jumped into action when the first signs of flooding appeared yesterday and made sure they were available to offer people support and prepare them for any future bad spells of weather.
Mrs Drever added: “We want to encourage people to think about protection, that’s a really important message. It’s not the council’s responsibility, but the home owners to make sure they’re prepared for flooding.
“The Scottish Flood Forum provides individual surveys for properties so they can know what they need to do in case of a flood.”
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