Not all heroes wear capes. Some put on a boiler suit, and have a shovel instead of superpowers.
Dunecht man Jim Moir is being lauded by scores of locals for his selfless efforts to keep others safe as Storm Babet swept the north-east.
Over the weekend, Jim ventured out into treacherous conditions to clear swamped roads and reduce risks to drivers.
Bringing nothing but his shovel, the brave 55-year-old was spotted digging away at drains to clear them, and carving out makeshift roadside tracks.
Not even torrential rain, which lashed down for the entire day, or the extremely high winds which battered most of the region, could stop the determined Jim.
He is now known as a local ‘hero’
Yesterday, he managed to clear water from Breedon Quarry to Kinnernie Burn, keeping the sections of the A944 road between Aberdeen and Alford safe.
Speaking to the Press and Journal, he told us he was initially out to try and “rescue” his daughter’s house from flooding.
The part-time farmer, who works at WH Leslie haulage firm, describes the flooding near his daughter’s nearby home as about 2ft deep, as water kept on coming from surrounding farm land.
‘It was really bad’
He added: “I had just came home from my work, when she told me there was flooding. So away we went.
“It was really bad. We cleared a big bit beside my daughter’s house. A farmer across the road came along and helped dig a bit out with his digger.”
“It was just too much to dig by hand.”
Getting there was no easy task as Storm Babet caused major travel chaos right across the north-east.
Saved his daughter’s house from flooding
Jim continued: “My daughter lives at the other side of Dunecht. It was bad enough getting there as well, with the amount of water on the roads.”
After that, he took his shovel out with him to clear the local roads, with many spotting him and taking to social media to praise the Good Samaritan.
‘It was all in a day’s work’
With a shovel, he dug a track between the grass bank at the side of the road. By doing this he was able to alleviate some of the water into nearby fields.
Jim added: “It’s just the size of the roads, where the water is low-lying, you have to try and dig a wee track to let the water away.
“My wife came with me and was sitting in the car to make sure nobody ran into me.”
When hearing how people have described him as a local “hero”, he simply said: “Oh, it was nothing, it makes no difference to me. It was all in a day’s work to me.”
Hundreds praise his efforts on social media
Many have taken to social media to praise him for his courageous efforts as he has been called “one in a million.”
One person wrote: “Not just a star, a superstar!”
While another commented: “Well done, Jim This is what you call community spirit.”
North-east residents left days without power during Storm Babet
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