storm of 1987

[Glen Poole]

I slept right through it, don't know how becouse when i woke up it looked as though a bomb had gone off, Trees where down all over the place. I was 11 at the time & school was shut for 2 weeks, we spent the whole time up the woods playing about. My boss had just left his job & set up on his own a month before the storm hit, what a result for him but a great shame in the amount of trees we lost & also not forgeting the people that lost their lives too.

[Pete Mctree]

Mydad worked for BT at the time. I remeber him being away from home for over 3 months repairing the damaged infrastructure. We were not effected this far north thankfully

[Rich Rule]

we had a few side effect up in the north east but not as bad as it was in the south. My old dear was a primary school teacher at the time. I was 13 and remember it well... She and the other school teachers had just been looking after the kids for lunch break. They got them inside about 1.30 in the afternoon. About 15-20 minutes later, the whole roof lifted of the school hall (wizard of OZ style) and planted itself down in the middle of the the playground. Lucky escape for the kids. Her school was shut for nearly 2 weeks whilst they rebuilt the roof.

 

[David Humphries]

Apart from getting involved in the clear up, the morning after the "Great Storm" I was driving along the North Circular towards Capel Manor where I was taking C&G Hort, when I crested a hill at East finchley doing about 60 in me little blue Mini, didn't see the remnants of a wind blown Poplar until it was too late, locked the brakes span the car mounted the curb and broadsided a lamppost

 

Dashboard came loose ended up in the back, three punctures and little old me dazed and confused.

 

Whilst in shock, refitted the dash, didnt think about the tyres and trundled along the Circ to Capel.

 

Got some very strange looks when i eventually got there, and then got told the college was actualy closed due to the Storm

 

 

 

.

[J The Tree]

Was 21 at the time and came up from Devon with a 2 mates, spent three and a half weeks clearing windblown timber in Richmond and Bushey Parks, you have neaver seen fires like we had, so close to London. Rest of time spent doing cash jobs clearing trees off houses and out of gardens- only if we could burn on site of course

Went home to considerably richer,only for Devon to get hit hard in 89. this time i was working for the County Council, spent 24hrs solid clearing trees from main roads with a Police escort to clear traffic and a JCB to clear timber

[chestnut]

i was living in the new forest at that time - and we got hit bad - many people died that night - and we lost a lot of firemen who risked their lives to save others

 

i hope i never have to see anything like that again

[Bermy]

The storm of '87 was the remanants of hurricane Emily. It came across Florida in a weakened state, hit the gulf stream and exploded, it hit Bermuda with one hours warning, winds over 120mph, the worst hurricane in well over 20 years, massive tree damage. It then charged up the Atlantic and hit you lot. It was probably extra tropical by the time it got to you. One of the reasons it was so fierce even at the high latitudes was that it set a record of 45knots forward speed...

 

I had just finished my NCH at Merrist Wood and was in the process of sailing home via Portugal, Madiera and the Canaries, we heard about the storm en route, having just missed it by leaving Southampton the week before. We got back to Bermuda probably a month later and there were still people without power and trees everywhere. Bartletts came out, 'tree surgeons' sprouted everywhere, people got rich, got hurt, got lucky!

[MattyF]

Can remember woods we played in being completly flattened, nothing left standing ...very sad

[nuggsy]

thankfully i was only 2 and i dnt think we were affected, we got bad storms on boxing day 96

[THE88MAN]

as ayoung man (18) i rushed down to kent with a gang i'd just started out cutting pulp for (200 quid a week) on the promise of untold riches,production was plentiful,worked 12hr days,one good week,market flooded,went home to discover father had sold 4x200 hoppus ft burr elms for £10 cube,did the maths and decided its not who you know,its what you know