The Great Storm of 1987

I can’t believe it has been exactly 20 years since the Great Storm hit the south-east of England in the early hours of October 16th, 1987. I’ve been through plenty of typhoons in Japan, but none of them come close to the “hurricane” that knocked out our electricity and water, blew over the trees in our garden and completely obliterated our greenhouse.

During the hours of darkness the storm swept across southern England. The highest wind speeds seem to have been along the south coast, with a gust of 100 knots recorded at Shoreham. 18 people lost their lives in England. In total it is estimated that around 15 million trees were destroyed. And on the morning after hundreds of thousands were without electricity; roads and railway lines were blocked. (Source: This Brighton)

I’ve probably never feared for my life as I did that night. The sound of howling winds still remind me of it. I had just turned 12 and I remember my family huddling together in the candlelight, while the wind battered the windows so hard I was sure they would shatter. Of course, schools were closed for the next week and we had to walk back and forth to the well in the town center for water. It must have been hard for adults, but children had a great time playing among the fallen trees.

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