Highland Capital Mops Up After 5ft Flash-Flood Havoc
Report by Sarah Bruce - 9 September 2002
Inverness was last night mopping up from the worst floods in decades after a weekend of chaos in which homes were evacuated, road and rail links closed, and parts of the city were under 5ft of water. Emergency services were working into the night to re-open commuter links after torrential rain left the Highland capital effectively cut off.
Residents and businesses and Raigmore Hospital suffered the effects of the flash flooding on Saturday night, while 200 guests and staff at the city's Thistle Hotel had to be evacuated by dinghy with the help of coastguard and lifeboat crews. About 15 residents had to be evacuated from their homes to the east of the city. And environmental health workers warned people to wash after coming into contact with floodwater which might be contaminated with sewage.
The A9 slip road to Raigmore estate collapsed at the height of the downpour and landslides blocked the A82. Part of the railway line was washed away, preventing trains travelling to the east or south. At one point, roads east, south and west of the city were completely blocked. But slowly throughout the day, the links reopened.
Last night, Chief Inspector Charlie Maciejewski, heading the operation for Northern Constabulary, said: "It's now a mopping-up and pumping-out operation. "Most roads affected earlier are now passable, albeit with some debris still on the surface. However, a number of roads are still shut - for example, the A82 will be closed at least until the morning."
Guests at the Thistle Hotel, including a honeymoon couple, were roused at 5am to the news that they were being evacuated. They were aided from the hotel in rubber dinghies by 14 members of the coastguard and lifeboat teams.
Local councillor David Munro described the floods as a "disaster" for the city. He said several houses in the street where he lives, Cranmore Drive, were flooded and dozens of gardens ruined.
At Raigmore hospital, there was crisis in the night as the £400,000 CT scanner nearly fell victim to the floods. Staff had to jam towels under the door to keep the water from reaching the vital equipment. They spent most of the night pumping out the basement to keep the flood under control. Adding to the problems, the hospital's switchboard was cut off for two hours by lightning. Highland Acute Hospitals NHS Trust chief executive Richard Carey said that no patients were ever at risk from the flooding, thanks to staff's quick thinking and hard work. He added: "Hospital calls were redirected through the police, but the staff did extremely well coping with all the problems last night."
Emergency services and council workers were dealing with the aftermath last night. The council took delivery of a new load of sandbags yesterday. It is understood they were distributed on a priority basis to homes in Culloden, Smithton and Drummond Road.
A mountain rescue and a yacht running aground also appeared to be weather-related. A particular set of unhappy coincidences was blamed for the flash floods. A Met Office forecaster explained: "The problem has been very narrow bands of extremely heavy rain. It often happens, but rarely hits an area of major population like Inverness."
