More than 170 flood victims are still not back in their homes nearly a year after Storm Frank battered the north-east.
Aberdeenshire Council’s latest figures show a huge number of residents across the region remain displaced, with 17 businesses yet to reopen.
And the local authority’s chief executive, Jim Savege, revealed yesterday that the flood bill has now reached £11.5million – but will rise even higher.
The flooding started with the River Dee bursting its banks at Ballater Golf Club on December 30, following incessant rainfall.
The Deeside village was soon submerged under 4ft of water, with some 307 homes and 60 businesses devastated.
Then on January 7, the Don and Ythan flooded – hitting 130 homes and 16 businesses in Inverurie, Port Elphinstone and Kintore; and a further 64 homes and three businesses in Ellon.
Yesterday Mr Savege acknowledged there was still work to be done, but said the authority would continue support victims and its work to repair bridges and roads.
He said: “I think that is the reality of flooding, the long-term (effect) that every authority across the whole of the country finds, it continues on for many months and years afterwards.
“We still have over 170 people out of their homes, and we still have 17 businesses which are not back in their business premises. And our heart goes out to them in terms of the reality they are still facing.
“Everyone is in alternative or temporary accommodation, they are not back in their home. And we really feel about that.
“We will continue to do what we can do to help people and businesses to get back and up and running.”
Across the region, there was barely a river, town or village not affected by Storm Frank in some form.
Mr Savege said the Polhollick and Cambus O’May footbridges across the River Dee would cost the council at least £1.5million to get back to working order. A total of 270 Aberdeenshire bridges were affected.
Some 68 council homes were also hit by the floods, of which 62 are now restored – with the rest due to be occupied once again come the new year.
One piece of road, which comes off the route to Loch Muick near Ballater and accesses one property, also remains in need of reconstruction.
But Mr Savege stressed a lot of work had already been carried out, adding: “If we look at examples of work we had over 270 bridges impacted by the flooding, we have done repairs to 145 of those, so clearly we have some work to do next year.
“We have got a lot of work that has been done in repairing and reinforcing flood defences, such as the flood bunds across Port Elphinstone and Keithhall and in Ballater.
“The cost so far has been £11.5million and we expect that to continue on with more work needed as well. We have got nearly all our council houses back up and in repair.”
In the spring, the council will look to commission more work to investigate possible “long-term flood defences” in the worst affected areas.
However, Mr Savage warned the studies will take “a couple of years”, and that it would be 2022 before the council will have the chance to bid for further government funding for protective measures that may be needed.
“We have had to re-prioritise some of our planned programme of work, that is reality, we have had to use existing budgets, capital and revenue to do work,” he said.
“All in all, I think we are doing OK in budget terms. We do have some challenges coming forward, such as what we do with Cambus O’May and Polhollock, which is £1.5million worth of cost.
“And if we do decide we need some more flood defences in different parts of shire, those may well have a big price tag attached to them.
“But we have seen recently that we have been given money for the Huntly and Stonehaven flood scheme from government and if the same trend continues, then we have got no reason to doubt that the needs of Aberdeenshire communities in terms of flood defences will be met by government budgets.”
