From the 19th – 21st October 2023, Storm Babet hit Scotland with strong winds and heavy rainfall.
Nowhere faced as much turmoil as Brechin, a small city at the centre of a prolonged Red weather warning. After hours of unrelenting heavy rainfall and high winds, The River Esk, which runs adjacent to the South of the City, breached the council’s new flood defences.
Hundreds of residents were hastily evacuated by emergency services long into the night. Destitute, their homes and possessions destroyed by flooding, many will have to start over.
Brechin is a city long in decline, a sad, familiar story I’m sure to most in Scotland. A dying high street, less than stellar public schools, a derelict nightclub formerly the jewel of the city.
Residents have taken to calling Brechin ‘The Forgotten City.’ Despite this, the communal spirit of the city was revealed throughout the storm.
Local community pages on Facebook were inundated with posts from residents seeking to volunteer. Many helped In the evacuation centre. Others donated essentials such as food and clothing. Small businesses in Brechin opened their doors, offering services free of charge to the city during the storm.
Although I’m sure Brechin and other areas like it will remain forgotten by our representatives, the past few days have shown the power of local communities banding together. Exemplifying the core principles of the Homeland Party and laying bare the innate desire to form local communities despite our modern world trying to atomise us into small divided groups who have never even said as little as “Hello” to our neighbours.
Our government continues to neglect our Homeland, sending our wealth to Ukraine and now, more recently, Israel. It is reassuring to know the hearts of the residents of Brechin are full of kindness, solidarity and unity.
At the time of writing, the Brechin Community Assistance Fund stands at £8,885, And the Brechin Flood Relief Fund stands at £22,992
