Wet, Wet, Wet

It’s not been the best start to the New Year weather wise. The past seven days have been dreadful and the resulting damage caused by flooding last week will take months to repair.

In the short term the North East has faced huge travel disruptions whether you are travelling by car, train or bus. This has affected me personally and for many thousands of people across my constituency.

In the past few days we have seen images and videos of severe weather showing people stranded in their homes, shots of roads under water and roads washed away and even a video of a static caravan being washed down the river Dee.

First Minister Nicola in Inverurie
(© 2016 Sunday Post)

However, it is in times like these I am proud to see the hard work of the people of Scotland helping others and getting on with the job that has been, albeit unwanted, presented to us. The dedication of the emergency responders who have continued to work tirelessly over past few days to protect our communities has been excellent.

Despite the constant stream of weather warnings from the MET office and SEPA we have also been overwhelmed by stories of community spirit across the North East, with people opening their doors for those who have faced damage to their homes.

There is no doubt that the effects of recent flooding will have been devastating for some. Families have been forced to leave their homes, schools have faced temporary closure and some businesses were forced to close their doors while weather warnings were in place.

The Scottish Government has announced £235 million to protect 10,000 properties affected by flooding and is providing a further £12million to support communities recovering from flooding, which residents in my Banffshire and Buchan Coast constituency can apply for if their properties have been damaged by floods, this will be available from local authorities.

Over the weekend I was able to visit areas in my constituency that have been affected by the weather. While other nearby communities have been affected very severely and been the focus of much effort, individual householders and businesses in Banffshire and Buchan Coast can also apply for financial assistance. Our thoughts should be with our friends elsewhere in the North East and in England. We are immensely grateful to all those who have and continue to give their time to help those in need.

I can't let the passing of Sir Albert McQuarrie go without acknowledging his public service right up to recent times. I used to meet him quite often and make common cause where we could agree. Respect should cross political boundaries and although there were fundamental issues of difference between us, I absolutely recognise his integrity and his efforts for our communities.