storm of 1987

[treequip]

It was a busy time, lots of "tree surgeons" about, many staying in B&B's, and many staying in the local hospital.

 

We were clearing for the highways and you had to be wary of who they sent out to work with you. I saw more than one leave in an ambulance at the end of a particularly steep learning curve.

 

:thumbdown:

[Rye Oil Ltd]

I can remember popping out to do my paper round just as the wind was starting to die down but was still very windy. My parents road was completely blocked by about 6 big trees and we had a tree hanging over our house, the only thing that stopped it was the telephone and power cables.

We basically had to chop our way out. The power was off for 2 weeks, luckily my mum was a guide leader and we had plenty of gas stoves and temporary lighting. It was interesting to say the least.

The 87 storm was the catalyst for us as a firm to start selling chain oil, there was a shortage down here and we kept getting asked for it, so we dipped our toe in the market and the rest they say is history.

[twistedhicap]

I can remember popping out to do my paper round just as the wind was starting to die down but was still very windy. My parents road was completely blocked by about 6 big trees and we had a tree hanging over our house, the only thing that stopped it was the telephone and power cables.

 

We basically had to chop our way out. The power was off for 2 weeks, luckily my mum was a guide leader and we had plenty of gas stoves and temporary lighting. It was interesting to say the least.

 

The 87 storm was the catalyst for us as a firm to start selling chain oil, there was a shortage down here and we kept getting asked for it, so we dipped our toe in the market and the rest they say is history.

 

 

Ha ha I remember that tree over your house I remember walking down with dad to you guys ! You will realise who I am shortly

 

The whole of fairlight was just riddled with trees laying everywhere !

[bythamboy]

I was in the emergency services doing night duty that week , opened a van door and it was almost ripped of , it didn't shut any more . I was in Barking ( London ) an area with 1930's / 1950's tree lined streets , loads of cars wearing trees .

[Farmer Tom]

I lived in St. Leonards-on-Sea at the time, I remember walking back from 'The Duke' pub thinking it was unseasonably warm.

I slept through the storm:001_smile:, let the wife go out to work early the next morning.....

She said she thought it a bit strange that the local petrol station roof was flapping up and down like that......

There was a picture of a little church with the steeple knocked off and sitting in the carpark, that was at the end of our road.

[kentjames]

I remember it vividly as I was only 6 at the time. I slept through it for the most part but my sister who at the time as in the box bedroom went into my parents room to say the walls were moving. My dad said don't be silly and sent her back to bed. It was only some years later that it was discovered there was lateral cracks around the house and indeed it was apparent that the roof had lifted and sat back down again! I remember the extensive work there after to add lots of ties into it!

 

Anyway, at the time my father was just starting out in his gardening firm and already had an established client base. He got phone calls from one hotel up across the other side of the village who rang in a state saying they had trees down everywhere and could he come and clear them.

 

Well my dad took two days to get there in the end due to the amount of trees down across the roads in that short 3 mile section of road network.

 

Once he eventually got there he found some around 10 trees down, the two worst ones being one across the top of the breakfast room which caused structural damage and the other which had completely destroyed 3 or 4 cars in the car park.

 

The hotel owner was very apologetic to the cars owners but they didn't care as it meant they didn't have to go home from their very nice hotel stay!

 

It's a shame we do not have any pictures from these days in our family but cameras were a luxury which they could not afford. at the time.

 

Across Kent there was huge amounts of damage and many companies set up during this time. Some are still going today, one of whom of course is Kingswood tree surgeons (Richard Olley who now runs Kingswood training)

 

Of course PPE was pretty scarce in those days and so it is unsurprising how many injuries there were. Thankfully my dad had been taught by a woodman who showed him basic cuts and this together with common sense kept him safe.

 

Thanks to this thread these memories can be shared.

[shavey]

I can remember going off milking that morning about 6am on my motor bike and seeing all these broken branches and hedge trees down all the way galvanise and blocked roads took me an hour to get to the farm and when I got there farmhouse roof on its back behind the house unbelievable

 

This photo is for Eggs :thumbup:

[mendiplogs]

I can remember going off milking that morning about 6am on my motor bike and seeing all these broken branches and hedge trees down all the way galvanise and blocked roads took me an hour to get to the farm and when I got there farmhouse roof on its back behind the house unbelievable

 

This photo is for Eggs :thumbup:

 

Hi ANDREW WERE did find that one do that Andrew thanks John I'm going to Pm you now

[csservices]

We had only been at the farm a year, I don't remember lots of trees down our way but it did take down the only mature elm on the farm and took out the power and half the roof off the farmhouse, whole family slept in the front room for a fortnight with the park ray lit at Ightfield for heat, my dad had just had a brand new defender and it was parked next to the house and got pelted by all the tiles that came off, year after I was allowed to use the saw, I was 14 at the time and it was a brand new still 028 still got it and still running. Spent a lot of time over the next few years cutting windblown that was left from the 87 storm.

[essential]

great book £1.00 on Amazon