31/12/2015 Reporting Scotland

The clean-up is underway across Scotland, after the floods

and high winds brought by Storm Frank.

Thousands of people spent the night without electricity and many had

In a moment we'll hear about the situation

in the North East and in the Borders - but first to Dumfries

and Galloway, where Aileen Clarke has spent the day.

In Newton Stewart this morning Ada and Nancy had settled in well in

their temporary digs. As their owners told the first Minister when

she visited, the flooded roads meant they couldn't get home last night

and head to bed down here. Everyone has looked after them well. The In

high street, the sort out and clean-up has begun, but the

floodwaters from the River Cree, which engulfed the street yesterday,

have left a community desperate for practical help now. It's horrific.

And reassurance for the future. We've got to make sure that we are

listening to communities, that we are learning the lessons of these

incidents, so that in future we get even more prepared and that's why

both here in the south of Scotland the Deputy First Minister As today

in Deeside as well, we are taking the time to make sure we talk to

people, those lessons are learned and we can continue to improve the

systems we have in place. This shop owner had a store in the Lake

District flooded this month and yesterday he raced north, only to

see the water lapping up the walls of his shop here. We need power, we

need to know that we can get support and advice quickly. And we

need to know that we can get support wall building in the village in

town. Basically, on the wall, it was about two there, but I'm man enough

to say yesterday morning I had a little cry and, book, give just got

get on with it. The clean-up operation might be under way in

Newton Stewart but not here in Castle Douglas. The lock at the

bottom has burst its banks and homes here are still being flooded.

Our correspondent Lorna Gordon is in Newton Stewart this evening.

How is it looking there tonight, Lorna?

Some good news here tonight. That bridge, which was in darkness for a

Some good news here tonight. That good 24 hours and was closed to all

traffic, has now reopened the cars and as you can see the lights are

back on. The electricity has been restored to most homes here in

Newton Stewart. Such was the level of the flooding that it will take

far longer to assess and indeed repair the damage to people's homes

and businesses. The river here rose by a good couple of metres. It

forced its way with an explosive punch, I'm told, through the stone

wall that used to stand here and flooded this area up to about waist

height. Little to look forward to for many families and businesses in

this town this New Year. Lorna Gordon, thank you.

Residents of Ballater in Aberdeenshire, where

the River Dee flooded around 200 homes, had a visit

from Prince Charles and his wife Camilla.

The waters rose on Ballater and today, they receded. This is what

they left behind. Mobile homes strewn across gardens. Walls and

property destroyed. The water invaded everywhere. Honestly, I just

astounded. I've just come in the door and the Hatch has disappeared.

I've never seen the hatch, I just went right through it. Their stools

in bathroom. I just... Honestly, I'm just astounded. Householders are now

counting the cost of the flood. Also seeing the impact of the water and

offering a friendly word the townspeople were Prince Charles and

the Duchess of Cornwall. Engineers were at work first thing, restoring

power. But was everyone ready for Storm Frank? I was sitting with an

87-year-old gentleman this morning whose birthday it is today and he is

saying he has lived in the Paarl -- in the village for 70 years and he

has never seen water or flooding like this. I'm proud of the way the

staff and the team and services have responded well. They've done an

exemplary job. Many had little choice but to collect what they

couldn't find somewhere dry. Life is slowly getting back to normal

hearing Ballater. Power has been restored to many homes and some

people have been able to enter their properties to assess the damage. For

them perhaps the real clean-up begins now. Elsewhere in

Aberdeenshire, Storm Frank has made its force felt. This used to be the

A93 between Ballater and Braemar. The tarmac no match for the River

Dee's force. Downstream in Aberdeen -- downstream in Aberdeen the river

which dates the highest level since 1928 and at this Angling club

decades of history are now sodden mess. Storm Frank has moved on from

Aberdeenshire, but many families will be feeling its effects. In time

to come. The body of a missing

kayaker has been recovered Police and local coastguards joined

in a search for the man in his fifties yesterday,

but it had to be called off All trains between Carlisle and both

Edinburgh and Glasgow have been cancelled, after a viaduct

was seriously damaged in the storm. The line between Perth

and Inverness is also affected, with passengers having to use

rail replacement buses In the Borders, Peebles has

experienced the worst flooding The Tweed has now subsided

and people are assessing the damage, Soaking sideboard shows how bad the

flooding was. New sofas perched on tables did not escape the deluge.

Hogmanay celebrations have been cancelled in this home. It happened

very quickly, because we have had flood defences in place that have

always held before but the weight of the river, the surge, was just

unbelievable. Around 50 people had the river, the surge, was just

to abandon homes in Peebles. Smaller communities upstream were also

flooded. Water was up to here. communities upstream were also

20 elderly residents had to leave this care home in the middle of the

night. Furniture and curtains can be replaced but private things are

difficult to replace. The council says it will reflect on how well its

services copes. Some of the outlying areas there are still issues as well

and clearly there are farming businesses that will be under

pressure, having perhaps lost livestock in the floods. There is a

lot of clearing up to do but the community does rally together and we

will continue to do that. One date on and the Tweed has tamed

considerably. If you see that debris on this tree, you can

considerably. If you see that debris the water rose yesterday. There is

no longer the same danger to life but the wreckage remains and there

are concerns about the safety of roads, bridges along this famous

river. It's quite a wintry look to the

night, the next 24 hours the Met office has a yellow bee aware

warning for snow, mainly over higher ground and ice, which will be the

main concern on untreated services denied. This evening,

main concern on untreated services blustery showers, wintry in nature,

snow over higher ground, blustery showers, wintry in nature,

lower ground and hail as blustery showers, wintry in nature,

the time we reached the bells we are still looking at quite a number of

showers certainly across the northern half of the country and

showers certainly across the then it will be chilly, temperatures

down to 2-3dC, then it will be chilly, temperatures

countryside. -1 or minus two Celsius widely. In 2016 the showers tend to

west. It will be dry and jelly with west. It will be dry and jelly with

the risk of ice anywhere, where services are damp -- any showers

the risk of ice anywhere, where the north and west continue to die

the risk of ice anywhere, where away and it's a pretty good day.

the risk of ice anywhere, where with spells of winter sunshine,

although we will see cloud increasing in the south-west later

in the afternoon, as winds back into the south-east and strengthen on the

West Coast and we hold on to the cold temperatures. Wrap up warm

West Coast and we hold on to the you're heading out for a New Year's

Day walk. Tomorrow evening you're heading out for a New Year's

Saturday there is a deep debris of low pressure which will introduce

rain across eastern Scotland along with strengthening south-easterly

winds. That's your forecast. Goodbye for now.