Scots evacuated during Storm Babet have told of the devastation they found upon returning to their homes, with First Minister Humza Yousaf to visit Brechin on Monday.
Residents in parts of Angus and Aberdeenshire were forced to leave due to rising floodwater, with helicopters and boats used to reach stranded people.
A Met Office red weather warning for the area was lifted on Saturday evening, with some able to travel to their homes the following day.
David Stewart, 68, was trying to salvage items from the flat he shares with his partner on River Street in Brechin.
He told the PA news agency: “It’s just absolutely mind-blowing. The devastation looks even worse than I thought.”
Brian Petrie, 66, returned to find the lower floor of his house covered in silt and mud, with the carpet squelching as he walked and the fridge upended.
He was in the house as the flooding hit, sheltering upstairs with his 92-year-old mother as water poured in through the letterbox.
She was rescued by Coastguard crews using a dinghy.
Mr Petrie said: “The Coastguards and paramedics got her down the stairs in a stretcher and took her in a dinghy up to the ambulance.”
She is now safe elsewhere in Angus.
George Wilson returned to find “awful” damage in his ground-floor flat in River Street.
The 66-year-old is documenting the extent of it for insurance purposes.
“I’m still trying to get my head around it,” he said.
The Scottish Government said on Sunday that the First Minister would visit Brechin on Monday.
Gavin Nicoll, the Scottish Conservative councillor for the Brechin and Edzell ward said the damage was extensive and some may not be able to move back into their homes until Christmas and could spend the festive season in temporary accommodation.
He told the BBC's Sunday Show: "It's dry now, but there's sludge and silt everywhere.
"It's contaminated sludge and silt, and it'll take a fair bit of cleaning up. It will be [an] extensive period. It will take a fair bit of sorting, so these houses won't be ready by Christmas.”
Jacqui Semple, head of risk, resilience and safety for Angus Council, said the council will assess how many people will need to be rehomed, aiming to complete this work by the end of the week.
Around 150 properties are too damaged to be re-connected to the electricity network and remain uninhabitable.
Ross Easton of the Energy Networks Association, which represents the UK’s energy network companies, said: “All homes which have been affected by Storm Babet have now been reconnected to the electricity network, with the exception of those which are badly storm damaged and uninhabitable.”
Read More: Storm Babet: Evacuated residents may be in temporary accommodation over Christmas
More than half of the staff manning a North Sea drilling platform were airlifted to other sites on Saturday after several of its anchors came loose during the storm.
Coastguard helicopters were called upon to move 45 non-essential workers from the Stena Spey to neighbouring platforms and to Sumburgh on the Shetland Islands due to the incident.
Train operator ScotRail said on Sunday that some services remained inoperable as they assessed potential damage to lines and overhead wires.
It was unable to run services on the Fife Circle route, or between Inverness and Wick, Thurso and Kyle of Lochalsh.
Two people are known to have been killed in Scotland, a 56-year-old was killed when a tree fell onto the van he was driving and a 57-year-old woman was recovered from a river in Angus.
A third person died in England after getting caught in fast-flowing flood water in the town of Cleobury Mortimer in Shropshire, and Derbyshire Police said the death of a woman on Saturday was believed to be “related to the flooding seen in the Chesterfield area”.
The Scottish Government justice secretary Angela Constance said: “The storm has caused significant damage and, while flooding is still occurring, it is not expected to be as serious as over the last 24 hours. The impact, however, will be felt in communities for some time to come.
Read More: North Sea drilling platform loses anchors during Storm Babet
“While many local authorities are still responding to the immediate impacts of the storm, thoughts are now turning to recovery.
“Over the coming days and weeks, we will stay in close contact with local authorities to support the people and businesses affected.”
Met Office spokesman Dave Britton said those worst affected by the flooding caused by Storm Babet could see “a couple of quieter days”.
He said: “Certainly through today and tomorrow, (there is) a period of more settled weather allowing for a rest bite for recovery.
“There is this pulse of rain moving its way north overnight later on Monday and into Tuesday, but rest of the week does look like it remains rather unsettled with spells of rain at times.
“But there are no warnings in force at the time for the remainder of the week, bar an ice warning for part of North Scotland tonight.”
Vincent Fitzsimons, Sepa’s flood duty manager, said: “The last week has been very challenging for people in Scottish communities, who have experienced another severe weather event. While the weather is an improving picture today, and rivers will continue to fall throughout the day, it’s important to remember that there are still hazards caused by flood waters and it’s important not to put yourself at risk.
“Sepa are removing the majority of local flood warnings but regional flood alerts remain in force in areas like Tayside and Aberdeenshire. This reflects not only the dangers which still exist from standing flood water, and fast-flowing river water, but also that there are important recovery activities under way.”
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