23/12/2016 BBC Wales Today

Homes without power and roads closed, as Storm Barbara

He thought sharing his experience would bring closure.

The inquiry looking into sex abuse apologises for the way

It always seems to happen as the Christmas getaway begins -

Storm Barbara raced across the country, leaving hundreds

of homes without power, roads blocked and ferries cancelled.

The strongest winds, of more than 70mph,

were recorded on Anglesey. Ben Price reports.

Christmas shoppers braving the elements this

as Storm Barbara swept in, bringing high winds and torrential rain.

Lloyd Street in the town had to be closed

as a precaution, over fears that scaffolding on the town hall

Further up the coast, speed restrictions on the Britannia Bridge

between Anglesey and the mainland, putting more strain on the

The high winds also affected train services in the area,

The strongest gust - 75mph - recorded on Anglesey.

Those winds also meant fallen trees, blocked roads and power cuts

for hundreds of homes across the country.

Gusts of anything between 50-80mph have been experienced

in exposed parts of the country today and the storm also

200 in Swansea and 200 in Carmarthenshire have also been

without power during the course of today.

There have also been almost 100 homes without power in Bridgend

Western Power have had engineers across the country, trying to get

This school in Caernarvon felt the full force of the storm.

Its roof badly damaged in the high wind.

All of a sudden there was this, the only way I can describe it is

an almighty roar. It was very frightening.

My daughter screamed. She was in her bedroom.

I ran into her and it was over in seconds, really.

towards the school and it was utter devastation, really.

Half the roof had completely torn off.

Carnage, is the only way I can describe it.

Rough seas meant Irish ferries had to cancel six fast

sailings between Holyhead and Dublin but passengers were transferred to

Not the best start to the festive season, but the wind and

rain will ease over the weekend, with the worst over for now.

Meanwhile, a family in Maesteg will spend Christmas

away from their home, after their insurers rejected

a claim to clear up ?50,000 worth of flood damage caused

Ocaso told the Jenkins family they had not declared their house

Their local MP says the flood was nothing to do with the river

and they are giving the insurance industry a bad name.

It is a genuine claim for a couple and a family

and their children, who are out of their home for Christmas.

Show some decency, I say to the company, and pay up.

Well, tonight, the insurance company, Ocaso says

it is "in discussions" with Mr Jenkins and will not

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse has carried out

an urgent review of its service in Wales and apologised

to a victim of sexual abuse for the poor support he received.

When the office opened in Wales in October,

a victim told our reporter that he hoped for some

closure by sharing his story with the inquiry.

But he says he's "devastated" by the way he's been treated.

Many of us have fond childhood memories of holidays by the seaside.

Tony, not his real name, was abused on a youth summer camp

in Porthcawl in the '70s by the man supposed to be looking after him.

Three other men made similar accusations about the alleged

abuser, who was employed as a teacher by Cardiff Council.

It was stories like Tony's that launch the independent

enquiry into child sex abuse, set up in 2014 by then-Home Secretary,

Theresa May, to look at abuse allegations in private and

An office opened in Cardiff two months ago and survivors

like Tony were urged to come forward and share their stories.

A support worker contacted Tony before

his appointment and he was shocked when she started

crying and she spoke of her own abuse.

Tony said he ended up counselling her.

When he hung up the phone, he was devastated.

You are hopeful, by giving evidence, you will have some kind of closure.

But at the moment, the wound is open.

It is open big-time. More than ever.

You cannot lock it, open it and lock it and open it

When the office opened in Cardiff in October

Professor Alexis J denied the inquiry was in crisis, despite

her being the fourth chairwoman in two years.

There has been criticism the remit is too broad.

I think it has gone beyond the reach of any successful or

I think that is very sad for those who have witnessed

Because yet again, it is potentially another

negative outcome, as a result of their disclosures.

An urgent review was carried out after Tony complained.

He received an apology and the enquiry says changes have

been made to make sure this does not happen to anyone else.

Tony and three other men are pursuing civil claims

The council said it takes the allegations very seriously,

but cannot comment on the case while it is ongoing.

Tony has still not given his evidence, but he hopes the new

year will bring some closure to the memories that have

The Archbishop of Wales has used his Christmas message to call

for people to respond to events like the Brexit vote

and the election of Donald Trump with "tolerance and grace".

Dr Barry Morgan says 2016 has been an extraordinary year,

with the civil war in Syria and the growing refugee crisis

that "seems, at times, to be out of control".

There are 65 million refugees. Syria is in meltdown.

People are torn apart in this country by the Brexit vote.

America has a president who has made derogatory

remarks about women, Mexicans and foreigners, in general.

I say Christians ought to build bridges, not walls,

Just a reminder for passengers planning on travelling

between South Wales and London from tomorrow, Paddington Station

Arriva Trains Wales is also warning there will be disruptions,

including no trains between Cardiff and Newport for part of the holiday,

with services to Bridgend and the valleys also restricted.

World Rugby, the sport's governing body, wants more information

about Northampton's response to George North's latest head injury.

The Wales wing had a knock to the head during a match

for his club, before returning to play minutes later.

A review this week, which found the 24-year-old should

have been taken off, decided not to sanction the club.

No chance of a white Christmas. Here is Derek with the forecast.

We certainly felt the effects of Storm Barbara today.

The wind strong enough to bring down one or two trees.

The highest wind gusts of 75mph on Anglesey and

in Snowdonia. Now, the worst is over.

This yellow warning in the north-west will soon expire.

A lot of dry weather, weather, but one of two showers.

No frost. Too much wind for that.

Christmas Eve morning will be breezy.

There will be a few showers around and, if you catch

Having said that, there will be some dry weather and sunshine to look

Across the rest of the UK, windy in the north, especially

Lots of showers, hail and thunder. Snow on the mountains.

Further south, less windy. Drier, with some sunshine.

More rain for Northern Ireland in the afternoon.

Wales, tomorrow afternoon, one or two showers.

But some dry weather, but clouding over, with some rain

developing in the north and north-west.

But feeling chilly in the brisk south-westerly wind.

For tomorrow night, breezy and windy.

There will be some drizzly rain, too,

For Christmas Day, it is going to be mild and windy.

There will be a few spots of drizzle, but dry weather, as well.

However, rain will spread from the north-west during the course

Temperatures well above average. Possibly 15 Celsius in Flintshire.

Boxing Day will be a lot nicer. A few showers in the north, but most

of us try with some sunshine. Next week, a spill of fine and sunny

weather, with some frost. Have a happy Christmas.

That is Wales Today. We will have updates

for you throughout Christmas and the New Year.

From all of us here, Merry Christmas!