storm of 1987

[David Riding]

was half watching a programme on britains worse weather last night. Was goin on about bad storm when thousands and thousands of trees went down in 1987, I was only 8 half remember it! Did any of you older contractors clean up in more ways than one. (thought it was 86, cheers skyhuck)

[skyhuck]

Think you mean "87".

[mdvaden]

Think you mean "87".

 

So how bad was that storm?

 

I may have seen a special on television about it last year.

 

Our worst storm on the west coast was called the "Columbus Day Storm" with the highest wind gust reported being about 179 mph / 288 kmh - apparently at one part of the Oregon coast.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Day_Storm

 

A weeping willow fell on our house that year. I still recall the beginning of the winds as we left the grocery store - even to this day.

 

Didn't your mid-80s storm cause a lot of havoc in regards to water and flooding?

[MasterBlaster]

Do ya'll ever get hurricanes?

[High Scale]

I remember watching a church steeple in my home town that had scaffold on it bending like it was made of rubber then falling straight through the church roof.

 

First guy I worked for on a training for work scheme, made a killing in the tree clean up.

[Andy Collins]

I was working about 5miles from home, not in tree work at the time, and couldnt find a single route into work, trees down all around. The boss wanted to know why I hadnt rung in to say I wasnt going in. We had no phone at the time, and no mobiles, so the phone box was the only choice. A large cedar had blown down and completely crushed the phone box, one of the old red ones. For this country it was quite devastating, and you can still see remnants of the storm damage to this day, in the woodlands and forests.

[Buzz]

I lived right in the eye, I was 10 at the time and my Dad was a ranger on a canal we had no power for 2 weeks which didn't bother us as we had coal fired central heating and generators.

I spent the 3 weeks my school was shut helping my dad clear up the 300 + mature trees we had down across the canal. I drove a 3.5 ton 360 pulling the trees out while they cut them up. All good experience

[David Humphries]

I was a llowly and maggot here on the Heath at the time.

London was hit very hard.

I spent months working with the Arb Teams, shifting Timber from different ground zeros to a Car park that was being used for burning our and two other LA's arrisings.

 

Inspired me to jump ship and join the world of the Trees

 

 

Hard but happy days.

 

 

 

 

.

[penfold]

i was at school in surrey at the time near holmbury st mary and slept right through it:confused1: Next morning the forestry commission area behind the school was totally flattened:scared1:

[Buzz]

So how bad was that storm?

 

 

 

Didn't your mid-80s storm cause a lot of havoc in regards to water and flooding?

 

It was pretty widespread destruction across the from the SW to SE corner of GB. Flooding wasn't an issue it was the wind.

Tree hazard assesment wasn't heard of then and the managment of trees was at an all time lol due to depressed industries and goverment bodies not having the money to carry out necessary works.

 

The main dmagae was done to mature and semi mature trees in my area nearly all hardwoods. The winds hit just before the trees had lost their leaves so wind sail effect was a big factor.

 

We had another peiod of high winds areound 1990-or 92 but it was no where near on the scale of 87.

 

87 was a piddler compared to what you guys get in the states. It's just we were un-prepared for that kind of event.

 

I woke up to horses running down the streets lol