‘Danger to life’ warnings remain after a month’s rain fell in 24 hours – forcing a search helicopter to airlift 10 to safety when landslides buried roads in Scotland
- The A83 Rest and Be Thankful was hit by seven landslides
- The Met Office issued an Amber warning at around 9.15am this morning
A ‘danger to life’ warning still remains after a month’s rain fell over 24 hours in Scotland.
The downpour was so bad this evening that a search helicopter had to airlift 10 people to safety after landslides buried local roads.
The A83 Rest and Be Thankful was hit by seven landslides during the extreme weather, and the Scottish Government held crisis talks in anticipation that the situation would get worse.
Preparations were made to open community centres in Argyll and Bute to help vulnerable people, while Police Scotland warned against travelling to the region.
The Met Office issued an Amber warning at around 9.15am this morning – meaning ‘danger to life’ – across Angus, Perth and Kinross, Aberdeenshire, Moray and Highland until 2pm on Sunday.
A ‘danger to life’ warning still remains after a month’s rain fell over 24 hours in Scotland
Motorists were trapped in between landslides in Argyll and Bute today, after a month of rainfall has fallen in just one day
Flood warnings have been issued for a number of areas across Scotland amid rain which started today and is expected to continue into Sunday
Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs said: ‘Officers have been dealing with significant disruption on the roads caused by the heavy rainfall and we would expect this to continue into Sunday.
‘Our advice is to plan ahead and consider if your journey is really necessary or if it can be delayed until conditions improve.’
According to the Met Office, a typical month’s rainfall in Edinburgh in October is 76mm, while Aberdeen sees 99mm. Scotland had 100mm (4in) of rain in parts.
Locals can expect homes and businesses to be flooded and damage to some buildings, danger to life from fast flowing or deep floodwater and delays or cancellations to train and bus services.
They have also been warned to be prepared for power cuts and loss of other services to some homes and businesses, for some communities cut off by flooded roads and for spray and flooding leading to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.
Vincent Fitzsimons, flood duty manager for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), said: ‘I want to be very clear that this is not a normal autumn day for Scotland. We’re expecting extensive river and surface water flooding in affected areas. There is a danger to life.
Preparations were made to open community centres in Argyll and Bute to help vulnerable people, while Police Scotland warned against travelling to the region
The A83 Rest and Be Thankful was hit by seven landslides during the extreme weather, and the Scottish Government held crisis talks in anticipation that the situation would get worse
It also said to be prepared for power cuts and loss of other services to some homes and businesses, for some communities cut off by flooded roads and for spray and flooding leading to difficult driving conditions and some road closures
‘There will be widespread impacts to road and rail. There is a risk of more significant community scale property flooding.’
Justice Secretary and Minister for Resilience Angela Constance chaired a meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Committee (SGoRR), which was attended by First Minister Humza Yousaf.
Ms Constance said: ‘As the weather warnings outline, heavy rainfall is expected to continue in many parts of the country into Sunday and some areas will have a month’s worth of rain over the course of the weekend.
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‘I would urge everyone across the country to heed the travel warnings being issued by Police Scotland and others – in particular, drivers in Argyll and Bute should avoid travel due to the significant disruption across the road network.
‘We are aware that the initial, most severe impacts have been felt by people and businesses in Argyll and Bute, as well as other areas in the west and north of the country.
‘Ministers are receiving regular updates on the situation from partners, including Sepa, the Met Office, and Police Scotland as it unfolds.
‘This afternoon I convened SGoRR in recognition of the severity of the situation which will continue to develop over the next 24 hours.’
Mudslides have been reported on both the A83 and the A815, near Inveraray. HM Coastguard confirmed that it sent a search and rescue helicopter to attend and airlift 10 people to safety.
A spokesperson told the Daily Record: ‘The HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopter from Prestwick airlifted 10 people cut off by a landslide at the junction of the A815 and A83 near Inveraray on 7 October.
‘The alarm was raised at about 9.15am. The people were flown safe and well to Inveraray and met by the Inveraray Coastguard Rescue Team and provided with shelter.’
A Police Scotland spokesperson also told the outlet: ‘We were called to reports of multiple landslides on the A83 and A815 on the morning of Saturday, 7 October, 2023. A number of vehicles were stuck between the landslides.’
The police confirmed that emergency services attended to those who were stuck and that nobody was injured.
The force said that the road currently remains closed and urged drivers to avoid travel in and around the area.
Flooding has been particularly bad in in Dumbarton, Scotland, where residents were pictured using sand bags to stop the water getting into their home and also using a bucket to tip water out.
A tractor was snapped driving through the flood water and one woman was even pictured walking her dog in the torrential rain, as she wrapped up warm with a coat – a stark contrast to those in bikinis and swimsuits enjoying the sun down south.
Travel disruption is also expected, with ScotRail cancelling trains on a number of lines and the LNER line no longer going north of Newcastle.
ScotRail said there would not be replacement buses for the routes, including those between Perth and Inverness.
It said to expect homes and businesses to be flooded and damage to some buildings, danger to life from fast flowing or deep floodwater and delays or cancellations to train and bus services
HM Coastguard confirmed that it sent a search and rescue helicopter to attend and airlift 10 people to safety
A man carries his dog through a flooded street in Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire, as Scotland suffers extreme rainfall
A member of the public has put sandbags by their door to keep the flood water out of their property in Dumbarton, Scotland
Motorists are forced to evade serious floods on the roads as Scotland was lashed by rain
Shop owners and homeowners have used cushions to try and stop water entering their properties
Two people wade through the flood water holding an umbrella and wearing wellies in Dumbarton, Scotland
Motorists struggle driving through the deep flood water in Dumbarton, Scotland today
The weather conditions will differ for the north and south of Britain, with some areas in Scotland facing ‘relentless’ rain and widespread flooding during the weekend, whereas areas in the south have been hit with a heatwave.
Tom Morgan, a Met Office meteorologist, said: ‘There is a huge contrast in weather across the UK, it’s very wet across much of Scotland where we have several weather warnings in place including an amber warning.
‘This could cause widespread disruption across the region such as flooded roads, the potential for landslides and issues with the trains as lines are being closed pre-emptively.
‘There could be a month’s worth of rain falling while for many other parts of the UK, Northern Ireland and Wales it’s unseasonably warm with temperatures of up to 25C and a small chance of 25C tomorrow.’
Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop said: ‘It’s important people plan their journeys before they set off.
‘Motorists should make sure their routes are available, follow the travel advice from Police Scotland and drive in accordance with the conditions.
‘If you are planning to travel by train, ferry or plane, please check with your operators to see if the conditions are having any impact on your services.’
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