Storm Frank: A community's response

Storm Frank was catastrophic; the water stopped at nothing in its path. We were lucky that nobody died on the day. People lost their homes and belongings. Many businesses were impacted, parts of the main street were devastated, and important economic drivers such as the caravan park and golf course were damaged.   

What came after was a display of remarkable resilience, shining a light on our strength as a community. Once the floodwaters dropped, the cleanup started immediately. People weren’t looking around for others to help, they pulled together, and everybody mucked in.  

Our climate is changing in front of our eyes, there’s no longer snow on the hills for as long as there used to be, and we are seeing huge downpours and heavy rain in the winter, with long droughts and fire risk in summer. Storm Frank’s power dramatically altered the River Dee’s path and its nature. Climate change will continue, and the river along with it.  

• Fire and rescue in Ballater Ray Cooper

  

  
• A road washed away in the flooding Ray Cooper

  

  
• Debris from the flooding Will Boyd Wallis

  

  

Ballater and Crathie Community Council quickly realised that the prospect of a hard local solution to flooding in Ballater would take a long time. We needed to pull together and look at what we could do in the meantime to improve the resilience of Ballater to flooding. That’s why we formed the Ballater Flood Issues Group. 

Through this group, we have been working with partners like the emergency services and SEPA on flood warnings and alerts. The Scottish Flood Forum has also been providing advice on protecting our houses and businesses. Ideally, each property needs a bespoke approach to flood protection – it's not just about you – by diverting water away from your house you may direct it into your neighbours' instead!  

One of our first projects as a group was to tackle the frequent lower levels of water coming into the village. We cleared a partially blocked water course and installed a 150-metre embankment, keeping water out of the village at lower levels of flooding. We also installed some wind-blown trees to redirect the river flow away from the bund. This has already kept the village dry on multiple occasions.  

The group have been working with the Park Authority and other partners to take steps in managing flood and drought risks. By focusing on holding more water upstream, we hope to strengthen the resilience of the river in the face of the growing pressures of climate change. With support from the Park Authority and Ballater Community Trust, we have contracted a hydrology firm to find local solutions to further reduce flood risk.  

We are all in this together, and the community is involved. It's a team effort. A coordinated, united community is a powerful voice for influence. Nobody knows the river better than the community. We see what happens on the ground, there's a lot of experience here, so we can bring a useful and constructive voice to the table. 

We won’t immediately be able to stop another storm like Frank, but we may be able to improve the resilience of the village when the waters get higher. There's still plenty to do, but with these plans and protections in place, we're in a better place now than we were.  

Ballater after disaster | Restoring nature and adapting to a changing climate in the Cairngorms

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Through our Cairngorms 2030 programme, we are supporting the Ballater Flood Issues Group both with restoration projects upstream, ensuring more water can be stored in flood and drought but also funding to find feasible, effective ways to reduce the risk of flooding in Ballater. Cairngorms 2030 is made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund Scotland, with thanks to National Lottery players. 

The Ballater Flood Issues Group have been working with Ballater Community Trust [Ballater (RD) Ltd]. The Trust (a registered charity) have provided funding as well as receiving grants from a number of sources, including from the Park Authority and gifts in kind from Aberdeenshire Council and local landowners, together with charitable donations to enable the embankment to be constructed.