Council officers and emergency services worked to restore properties following the flash flooding – but damage is estimated to take up to four months to repair.
Thirteen council tenants, tenants of atrium homes and private residents have been displaced from their properties as a result of the floods on Sunday evening.
Katie Kelly is depute chief executive of East Ayrshire Council.
She told the Kilmarnock Standard : “We had staff on site at Shortlees working through the night to assist colleagues in emergency services and support local residents in the area.
“Our priority in this instance was firstly to ensure the safety of residents and to help them vacate their properties.
“Housing and health and social care staff have been supporting individual households, families and vulnerable residents in the area throughout the incident.”
However, some questioned the timing of the council response.
Craig Kirkland, whose partner’s 94-year-old grandfather was left trapped in his home, told the Standard: “To be honest, the council response just wasn’t good enough.
“I know that a neighbour made the first call at 6pm but it took until 2am for a pump to arrive.
“For three days there have been yellow warnings on the motorways.
“I did think this would have been a red flag area for the council where they would have had some kind of contingency plan.
“At 2am they got a pump and that’s when it started to go down. If they had done that sooner it would never have gotten that bad.”
Ms Kelly responded: “This is not a known flooding hotspot in East Ayrshire, but we had been monitoring the situation following yellow weather alerts.
“With seasonal flash flooding of this nature, the excess water normally recedes of its own accord, but in this instance that did not happen and we had to deploy other equipment – including a pump – to help reduce the water levels.”
Volunteers also made visits to vulnerable residents after the explosion of the nearby sub station resulted
in an extended power cut throughout the area.
Ms Kelly added: “Teams from Ayrshire Roads Alliance, housing asset services and outdoor amenities have been assisting with the clear-up.
“We estimate repairs may take up to four months, but this may vary depending on the extent of the damage.
“We are also working with Police Scotland to enhance security for the vacated properties in the area.”
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) attended at the scene on Sunday following “danger to life” flooding on the A77 earlier that day.
Warnings were issued by the Met Office which saw the Bellfield Interchange in Kilmarnock and the Dutch House Roundabout in Ayr, South Ayrshire sealed off due to heavy rainfall.
SFRS station manager Alan Brown said: “We were in attendance at several flooding related incidents across the Ayrshire area on Sunday, July 28, from 7.04pm.
“Firefighters responded to reports of flooding in the Shortlees area of Kilmarnock at both Caprington Avenue and Loreny Drive.
“Operations vontrol mobilised a number of our resources to the scene, where crews attended at each property via boat – checking residents were safe and happy to remain within their homes.
“Two people were removed from two separate houses at their request but no injuries were reported.
“Crews also tackled a fire within a nearby substation using a fire extinguisher in the early hours of Monday, July 29.
“Firefighters left after ensuring the area was made safe.”
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