29/12/2015 BBC Newsline

Almost 8,000 homes across Northern Ireland are without power

tonight as Storm Frank causes severe disruption.

All ferry sailings have been cancelled and many flights

With a high wind warning due to remain in place until the early

hours of tomorrow morning, motorists are advised not

The force of the storm was being felt on the east coast tonight. It

began earlier today with an amber warning from the Met Office. Waters

for what -- warned about driving on coastal roads. This collapsed

because of weather conditions. We are prepared. We have the resources

and the equipment to get it reappeared and deal with it. Our

advice to people is to stay away and avoid driving through floodwater.

The West of Ireland has already been battered and strong winds swept in

this afternoon. Some places where on flood alert. The high winds can also

hit power supplies and NIE is on stand-by to deal with damages. They

ferry operations have been disrupted with all P Ferries this bandit --

suspended. Conditions are expected to get worse with this disgusting

wind expected to be a problem on coastal routes. The services have

also been disrupted with two inbound flights to Belfast International

being diverted to Dublin and passengers disembark in her face

delays because of high winds on their ear we apron. More details on

the effect of the stormy weather at home and further afield, check out

our news online pages. A man suffered severe head injuries

when he fell into a 15-foot concrete man hole in Sixmilecross

in County Tyrone. He was up to his waist in water

and had to be rescued He was working on his own,

excavating land and somehow he managed to slip into the portal

and became trapped in water. He was taken to hospital with severe

head injuries and The road was saturated with heavy

rain which would not have helped. The police believe a man who is in

action that physical condition in hospital may have been the victim of

an assault. He was found in the bedroom of a house at Mount Vernon

yesterday morning. The police want anyone with information to contact

them. A man who escaped from police

custody at Bishop Street courthouse in Londonderry last

week as been arrested. Dean Beattie, who is 22

and from Glenowen Park, in the city, was

detained this morning. Four years ago a family in Maghera

were left on the brink of disaster after flash flooding left their home

teetering on a river's edge. Since the heavy rain in 2011,

the Flanagan family have been unable Now, following discussions

with officials from the Department of agriculture and rural

development, retaining There was only a fit from the back

gable of the wall to the edge where it was unsafe. You concede the

foundation underneath. The wall had collapsed. Did not do much damage

but you concede the pipes. If you came out your back door, you were

looking straight down, it was a nightmare.

It's hoped recruitment of specialist staff for the new radiotherapy unit

at Altnagelvin Hospital will be completed soon.

The major cancer unit cost ?50 million.

Keiron Tourish reports the final stage of its construction.

Work on the new radiotherapy unit at Altnagelvin hospital

The building should be completed in the next few months

before its scheduled opening in mid 2016.

The catchment area will stretch from Derry to Fermanagh and include

Patients from Donegal will also benefit as the Irish government

Fiona Nash says the new unit will be warmly welcomed.

She had breast cancer in 2011 and had to travel

It was hard for my husband, he worked shifts, starting early

in the morning so he was left with everything in the house,

It'll be fantastic to have one closer.

For doctors, promoting awareness of breast cancer remains

Doctor Paul Molloy says the unit is a major boost for health

All the treatment will be under one roof so all the patients will be

more comfortable without the considerable distances

Families like to be around their loved ones,

We will be able to attract top doctors to the new departments

because we will have all the different

Fiona Nash has made a complete recovery and says access to cancer

treatment is an important time to have your family at hand

Looking ahead to programming tomorrow, and in a Talkback's

Christmas special the former Assistant Chief Constable Judith

Gillespie gets her first broadcast interview since

That's at midday on BBC Radio Ulster.

Hello there. Storm Frank is certainly battling Northern Ireland

tonight with strong winds and lots of rain. Rain is causing concern,

the Met Office issued an amber warning which means be prepared for

destruction, further flooding is likely. As the storm moves north, it

is also bringing strong winds with gusts of 50 to 60 miles an hour.

Coastal areas will find the waves creating dangerous conditions for

coastal communities, especially for driving. Widespread rain eventually

begins to ease from the West as we move towards breakfast time. After

that it will dry up nicely but squally showers are likely from the

West. It will remain windy with gales lasting until the middle of

the day. It will be a wet start to begin, sunshine will develop across

many areas of Ireland before the showers coming from the Atlantic.

Storm Frank begins to batter of Britain. Amber warning is for

Scotland and western regions. That rainbow push eastwards. Behind it,

it dries up nicely and it is a mild day with temperatures are around 13

degrees. In Northern Ireland we hold onto the weather warnings.

Eventually the winds will ease and we have a fine end with plenty of

sunshine, it will remain dry into tomorrow evening. For a New Year's

Eve, it will be quite chilly with temperatures close to freezing so we

will stay a frost on new years morning. A bit of rain to come

during the day. Just 6 degrees. Good news is for revellers, it will be

largely dry. Into New Year's Day, a similar picture, we hold onto

temperatures normal for this time of year. Showers on Saturday.

Our next BBC Newsline is at six twenty five in the morning