Who can remember....?
16 October 2012, 10:27 AM
#1
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Who can remember....?
The Great Storm. 25 years ago last night - the one that the met office got wrong "Forget the rumours of a storm tonight". Michael Fish I think. Worst storm for a hundred years or more.
I was living just off Clapham Common and heard nothing during the night
But it was eerily quiet in the morning and no power. Took the dog out over the common and just about half the trees were down. Quite a sad sight actually.
David
I was living just off Clapham Common and heard nothing during the night
But it was eerily quiet in the morning and no power. Took the dog out over the common and just about half the trees were down. Quite a sad sight actually.David
16 October 2012, 10:29 AM
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I can remember this David.
This was where a woman rang in and asked about the incoming storm wasn't it, and Mr fish said that the rumours were wrong and not to worry!
How wrong was he
This was where a woman rang in and asked about the incoming storm wasn't it, and Mr fish said that the rumours were wrong and not to worry!
How wrong was he
16 October 2012, 10:31 AM
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Absolutely. I remember thinking the huge oak tree in our garden would be blown over. I was pelted just above the eye with an acorn, was lucky it wasn't an inch lower, so went inside. But even that didn't feel safe, the windows were flexing more than i could ever believe glass could, it was surreal and frightening.
The carnage the day after was a sorry sight, i remember the smell of tree was very strong. Wouldn't want to live through that night again. And what with Black Monday, it really did feel like the end of the world was nigh!
The carnage the day after was a sorry sight, i remember the smell of tree was very strong. Wouldn't want to live through that night again. And what with Black Monday, it really did feel like the end of the world was nigh!
16 October 2012, 10:32 AM
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Yeah that's right. He will never live that one down.
But 18 died I believe
And Sevenoaks became Oneoak.......
david
Last edited by David Lock; 16 October 2012 at 10:40 AM.
16 October 2012, 10:35 AM
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We were living in Milton Keynes at the time so we didn't see much of the storm compared to more southern counties. My mum called us during the storm to tell us how bad it was and we could here the wind howling over the phone.
We went to visit her down in Kent a few days later and couldn't believe the devastation to the trees around the south of the M25. Thousands of them blown down like matchwood.
We went to visit her down in Kent a few days later and couldn't believe the devastation to the trees around the south of the M25. Thousands of them blown down like matchwood.
16 October 2012, 10:37 AM
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I remember it well. I worked for a Plant Hire firm in the East End at the time.
We were told to get in, which for me was tricky as I had to get through from mid Essex. Took me about 4 hours to do 20 miles, the destruction was incredible, even in London
I spent the next week delivering chainsaws all over the place. The company made an absolute fortune out of it.
We were told to get in, which for me was tricky as I had to get through from mid Essex. Took me about 4 hours to do 20 miles, the destruction was incredible, even in London
I spent the next week delivering chainsaws all over the place. The company made an absolute fortune out of it.
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16 October 2012, 11:00 AM
#9
Pontificating
We were living in Barnet and I remember waking up in the middle of it to see the fir tree's in our garden bending back and forth violently and then an old style steel dustbin came hurtling down the hill and wraped itself round the front of our neighbours car.
In the morning I remember my dad driving me to Southgate to get on the Piccadilly line into Covent Garden as the Northern Line was blocked, we were weaving in and out of fallen tree's and debris all the way from Barnet to Southgate.
My sister was suppossed to be coming up from Bracknell on the coach for a bit of shopping and we were going to meet in Covent Garden for lunch, as the phones were down and this was pre Mobile era I had no way of knowing if she was coming and amazingly she rolled up for lunch as if nothing had happened.
That was one mad night and day.
In the morning I remember my dad driving me to Southgate to get on the Piccadilly line into Covent Garden as the Northern Line was blocked, we were weaving in and out of fallen tree's and debris all the way from Barnet to Southgate.
My sister was suppossed to be coming up from Bracknell on the coach for a bit of shopping and we were going to meet in Covent Garden for lunch, as the phones were down and this was pre Mobile era I had no way of knowing if she was coming and amazingly she rolled up for lunch as if nothing had happened.
That was one mad night and day.
16 October 2012, 11:20 AM
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Slept through the storm. Got up, went and did my paper round...carrying my bike over all the fallen trees blocking the road. Got home and was told no school as the roof had blown off...result for a 15 year old
16 October 2012, 11:27 AM
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Shed, Greenhouse and over half of our fence panels were gone (never found any of them).
A twenty foot "armco" barrier from the A3 had been taken off the A3 and finished up in our bay window.
Staying next to the Tolworth Tower was "Breezy" at the best of times
First house to the right of this picture was us
A twenty foot "armco" barrier from the A3 had been taken off the A3 and finished up in our bay window.
Staying next to the Tolworth Tower was "Breezy" at the best of times
First house to the right of this picture was us
Last edited by jasey; 16 October 2012 at 11:28 AM.
16 October 2012, 12:19 PM
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Certainly do, was at secondary school at the time and my parents live in Essex near Southend so the whole area was quite badly hit. Fairly sure school was out of action for a few days and we had no power for the best part of a week. Ended up spending most of our time in our caravan on the drive as this had gas heating and could be powered from a car battery for a bit of TV etc. 
Taste of pikey life
Remember heading into Southend a day or two after with my Dad to exchange a CD player he'd bought that was duff. All along the seafront from Leigh right down to Southend a lot of the houses there had borne the brunt of it and had roofs missing etc.
We had a greenhouse destroyed, a few fence panels, and a chest freezer full of food due to the lack of power.
Taste of pikey life Remember heading into Southend a day or two after with my Dad to exchange a CD player he'd bought that was duff. All along the seafront from Leigh right down to Southend a lot of the houses there had borne the brunt of it and had roofs missing etc.
We had a greenhouse destroyed, a few fence panels, and a chest freezer full of food due to the lack of power.
16 October 2012, 01:43 PM
#16
Yeah remember it well. Lived in Carshalton, Surrey Power was off, but I don't remember that being so unusual, probably every few months it went anyway. Left to do my paper round and was surprised to have to step over so many fallen trees. Go to the shop to find the papers hadn't been delivered as all the roads were impassable. Got home and Mum had got a battery radio going and we heard the news.
A park near us lost all it's huge (over 100 foot high?) poplar trees, magnificent they were all originally stood in a long line. I saw a kid going to school yesterday kicking leaves fallen in the autumn, I remember the piles of leaves 4 or 5 foot high in that park in early autumn when I was a kid, you could hide in them. Never seen it like that since.
Parks further out on the South Downs were devastated. We had a few days off school and got out on our bikes. It did look like something out of a war zone as whole woods were wiped out. Pretty sad really. Lots of places have changed and never recovered, though I think today lots of places are getting back to being as wooded, albeit it without the fully grown mature trees you used to see. At least in Surrey that is.
A park near us lost all it's huge (over 100 foot high?) poplar trees, magnificent they were all originally stood in a long line. I saw a kid going to school yesterday kicking leaves fallen in the autumn, I remember the piles of leaves 4 or 5 foot high in that park in early autumn when I was a kid, you could hide in them. Never seen it like that since.
Parks further out on the South Downs were devastated. We had a few days off school and got out on our bikes. It did look like something out of a war zone as whole woods were wiped out. Pretty sad really. Lots of places have changed and never recovered, though I think today lots of places are getting back to being as wooded, albeit it without the fully grown mature trees you used to see. At least in Surrey that is.
16 October 2012, 01:54 PM
#17
Back then my dad (RIP) recently had a high brickwall put up.... The storm flattened it. Remember, when I got home from school, being greeted by a friggin great pile of bricks in the courtyard.
Last edited by joz8968; 16 October 2012 at 01:55 PM.
16 October 2012, 02:10 PM
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I was in bed but woken by wind, and then tiles coming off roof and through polycarbonate roof on porch extension. Some neighbours chimneys has problems I think
We were in sticks north Kent but had few large trees around think road out the village was blocked that day at least, but then we were blocked in by snow for days in the mid eighties
We were in sticks north Kent but had few large trees around think road out the village was blocked that day at least, but then we were blocked in by snow for days in the mid eighties
16 October 2012, 02:12 PM
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It was certainly a bit windy-terrifyingly so in fact.
I felt sorry for Michael Fish, he was only relating the official weather forecast which the computer got wrong because of insufficient information at the time.
Les
I felt sorry for Michael Fish, he was only relating the official weather forecast which the computer got wrong because of insufficient information at the time.
Les
16 October 2012, 04:08 PM
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IIRC the woman said there was a hurricane, and he said there wasn't. And to be fair there wasn't.
It was a bit windier than he expected though.............
I don't remember it at all, despite being 20 years old.
Geezer
It was a bit windier than he expected though.............
I don't remember it at all, despite being 20 years old.
Geezer
16 October 2012, 05:58 PM
#26
Remember it well, destroyed our roof, chimney, most of roof blown off, out buildings levelled.
Was quite scarey, all of us in the kitchen listening to the house being ripped apart and not being able to leave as all the tiles were firing off the roof and sticking in the ground.
Was quite scarey, all of us in the kitchen listening to the house being ripped apart and not being able to leave as all the tiles were firing off the roof and sticking in the ground.
16 October 2012, 06:59 PM
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I certainly remember it - we had fences flattened, our greenhouse was wrecked and there were trees down across the roads so I got a day or two off school. So at least something good came of it!
16 October 2012, 07:19 PM
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"At the time of the storm there was a profound sense of shock and disorientation. In parts of the estate 80% of the trees were down, somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 trees. It took us five years to clear the damage.
15 Million lol
15 Million lol