Happy Hurricane Anniversary

[Theatre of Trees]

Went clubbing that night, I think it was Smugglers down Middle Street. It was really mild when we went down to the club about 10 as I remember a few of our group debating whether to take their jackets or not. First sign that something was amiss was when the door of the club opened after 2am to let us out and one of those old metal dustbins went past flying through the air up Middle Street. Me and a couple of friends decided to walk back to Fiveways which meant passing St Peters as the first of the trees were being blown down. We stayed to watch a couple hit the deck, saw a police car drive up, one officer get out of the car, shout 'f*** this let's get back to the station' to his mate inside before jumping in and speeding off. By now we decided it was getting a bit hairy and began walking up Ditchling Road for some reason keeping to the centre as we did as there certainly wasn't much traffic. Got in about 2.45 to note that my hair had all been blown to one side as if I'd spent the last hour under a hair dryer. Got into bed, heard the wind rattling the window before the alcohol caught up with me and I passed out.

I was due in work at 9.30 the following morning but failed to wake up as my electric radio alarm had not gone off and woke up around midday to find total carnage outside. I have a vague recollection that someone contacted me by phone that day about my failure to turn up to work but I'm uncertain if my memory is playing tricks as I thought the phone network was out for a few days.

 

[cornish seagull]

Living in Horley at the time and remember waking up at some point during the night to close the window which at the time was a bit of a struggle but thought nothing of it! woke up in the morning and couldn't believe the utter devastation, cars crushed by fallen trees, roof tiles smashed, sheds destroyed. Moved down to Cornwall 1yr later and got hit by another huge storm with 120mph gust recorded In Falmouth. Wife in Treliske Hospital having our first and staff moving her bed away from window as they feared it would blow in! happy times!

 

[Greavsey]

Living in the heart of Mid-Sussex at the time, we had no electricity for two weeks. I was aged 8 and consequently got two weeks off school. It is one of the most vivid memories of my childhood and was a fantastic.

 

[ali jenkins]

I was 10 months and 1 week old when it hit. Had a roof tile come through the window and landed quite near me aparantly but I slept through the whole thing. Not that I remember anything obviously.

 

[Bodular]

I was 7, All I remember is my tree in my garden was not there any more it was on the car, and going over to stanmer park and being really happy with how easy it was getting conkers

 

[Jam The Man]

At 230am we had to abandon our house in Portslade as the roof came off (at the time it was the 6tth highest location in the area, atop Foredown Hill).. we ended up flying to my Grandparents house near Southwick.

 

[sully]

I slept through it - living in Hollingdean Road at the time.

My first knowledge of what had gone on was when I tried to get to the station having failed to get the phone to work. As the first part of my walk was through relatively treeless residential streets, it wasn't until I got to the NW corner of the Level that I realised something had happened apart from a power cut (and me over-sleeping)!

 

[happypig]

I was on a stag night in the Brewery Tap and got home pissed and slept through the whole thing. Woke up at about half six needing a wee, had no electricity so decided to go to work early. I lived near London Road station and had to get to withdean exchange, I seem to remember going all round the houses dodging trees but I got there, was first in and there was rather a lot of work waiting what with all the poles and wires brought down.
Funny think is, at the start of 1987 we'd been on strike and afterwards one of our senior managers said to us "the days of overtime are gone, you'll never see another sunday". The October storm saw me (and most other people on BT) working 7 days a week, often racking up more overtime than normal time in a week.
I remember that from mid oct 87 to feb 88 I was either sleeping, in the pub or working.