Retained Alyth Flood Team (RAFT)
The Retained Alyth Flood Team (RAFT) has been established 
as the first volunteer team in Scotland to pioneer a proactive approach to addressing flooding risk within a community. This team of trained persons will be present during an extreme weather event and know what emergency protocols to follow and provide assistance if required e.g., first aid, water safety and rescue methods, etc.
Since the 2015 flood volunteers have formed a few iterations of a flood team, and each of those did good work while they lasted. But by 2020 there was no longer a team. The ACSG and the ADT worked together on a flood team structure influenced by all previous flood team leaders and the leader of the retain fire service. The RAFT project was adopted by the SFF and became independent in 2022, securing funding from the national lottery fund.
Members of the RAFT are compensated for their time spent training and drilling, but in a flood, event are volunteers like everyone else. RAFT consists of 8 trained volunteer responders, our Communications officer Laura Rodger and Team Leader Grant Train. The Communications officer and Team leader are drafting a robust Flood Plan of Alyth with help and information from the Alyth Development Trust, The Scottish Flood Forum and Perth and Kinross Council. The Flood Plan will be a cohesive living document in continuous review to update with any change in situation. The Team leader will conduct drilling for the team while other training courses will be provided by relevant experts in the given subject.
During a flood event RAFT members duties are to protect at risk buildings and locations with the deployment of sandbags and defences and to communicate with the public to coordinate and reduce risk of harm. Out with a flood event the RAFT can be called on to take preventative measures such as removing fallen trees from the burn.
Alyth Flood Watch (AFW)
To further prepare for flood events in Alyth, RAFT are seeking to establish another team of volunteers – the Alyth Flood Watch (AFW). The AFW is a community team who will act as ambassadors for RAFT, identifying and communicating with vulnerable residents of Alyth.
The Alyth Flood Watch is a sister organisation for residents of Alyth to share information relevant to flooding with one another as well as aiding in a flood event. Information from the AFW allows RAFT to act in a more dynamic way, responding to issues as they arise.
Anyone can be a part of AFW, and participation might be as simple as reporting road conditions around Alyth. AFW also provides a platform for RAFT and their advisory bodies to disseminate information out to the people of Alyth.
Regular AFW activities and Responsibilities include:
- Identify and visit vulnerable people annually to check they understand how to deal with a flood situation and where they can find out more information. Priority should be given to people within the zones highlighted in the Alyth Emergency Flood Plan. Newly identified people are reported to RAFT.
- Visit at risk businesses (especially new businesses) annually to check they understand how to deal with a flood situation and where they can find out more information. Priority should be given to businesses within the zones highlighted in the Alyth Emergency Flood Plan. Newly identified businesses are reported to RAFT.
- Identify any flood risks (e.g., burn bank erosion, debris in burn, etc.) and report to RAFT.
Interested members of the community are invited to contact RAFT (07741646356)
White (SEPA Flood Alert)
Green Alert (SEPA Flood warning or Rivertrack Alarm)
- Protect your own property first, if it is in an at risk area.
- Report concerns about vulnerable people or households to the Communications Officer.
- Move vehicle out of at risk areas.
- Report to a RAFT member (Identified by the hi-vis branded vests) and ask what you can do to help.
Amber (RAFT Assessment)
Red (RAFT/ Fire Service Assessment / SEPA Severe Flood Warning)
Water levels are continuing to rise. Floating debris is posing a serious threat to safety. All volunteers and RAFT members should vacate at risk areas as soon as practicable. At risk areas should be evacuated to the Town Hall or the Alyth Parish Church depending on the side of the burn a person finds themselves on. The onus of this level of alert is to ensure the safety of people over property.
Standing down
If all actions associated with a level of alert have been completed and the challenges of the situation have not escalated or seem unlikely to escalate in the next hour, then the level of the alert should be reduced. Once the alert level is below White Alert, recovery should begin. This will include returning sandbags, flood gates and similar measures to storage. In the case of damaged properties this should include efforts to help make safe and dry those properties and support property owners with relevant information provided by the Scottish Flood Forum.