Remembering the great storm
Twenty years ago this morning, Britain suffered the most ferocious storm since 1703. In the South-East of England, 19 people were killed and 15 million trees were uprooted and damage ran to £1.5 billion.
I always sleep soundly and we had new double glazing, so I slept throughout the entire storm. However, when I rose, I found that we had lost all electricity, felt from the dorma roof and guttering from above one of the side windows had been ripped off, and the back garden was littered with branches snapped off from the spinney behind us.
My line of the London Underground was not working and so I did not manage to reach my place of work until 10.30 am, only to be told that the building was being closed at lunchtime.
There’s a story in today’s “Mirror” newspaper about that infamous broadcast by weather man Michael Fish assuring us that all was well.
October 15th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
Me, I was in the Station Hotel at Kings Cross and like Roger, slept through it all.
We were sailing that evening on the QE2 for a dream holiday.
It would take a book to tell you how we made it to Southampton for the designated sailing time only to be told on arrival it was now delayed because of the hurricane.
We should just have sat around in Waterloo Station for the day, but as a Geordie, not trusting anybody to get us there in time. Off we went, by taxi, bus and finally a relatives car.
We loved the holiday and then, because the QE2 broke down a couple of times in the Carribean, the refit of engines – done in Germany – instead of the Clyde – had not worked – got compensation from Cunard and had another great holiday. Hurrah for Hurricanes et al.
The ‘Fish’ statement is getting to be an urban myth. Some many versions, so many truths.