Where were you for the storm of '87?

[Kumquat]

I went to boarding school the year after and even after about 5 years there we were still chopping up wood from fallen trees. There was a sizeable woods on the grounds, all the teachers or Masters as they were known lived on the grounds and all had wood burning fires. They actually created an extra curricular activity and called it "Forestry Club". Essentially they got us lads into the woods with saws and chainsaws and got us to cut up all their firewood and carry it to their houses for about 5 years running. Cute.

Ditto. I was at Christ's Hospital at the time. Remember us still having lessons the next day despite there being no electricity and it getting really quite dark. Seem to remember on teacher getting us to play Bingo in Latin.

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

We were living in the house we are now. I can remember lying in bed awake in the middle of the night afraid that the windows (biggish bay window) were going to blow out.

When we got up the next morning:
1. Dozy next door neighbour had left their back bedroom window open, and it had blown clean off and through our conservatory roof.
2. A big branch had come off the large oak tree at the bottom of our garden, cleared our next door neighbour's garden and landed in the garden beyond that. It was a very big bit of tree and, when I went round to try and help, two of us could not shift it.

 

[Norman Potting]

We had a house up around Queens Park area, all the roofs were being ripped off the houses around ours, so we grabbed our daughter who was only a few months old at the time from her bedroom and we camped in the kitchen. Luckily we had batteries for a radio so we could listen to the news and a gas cooker so we could make drinks etc. I went outside in our small back garden to see what damaged was being caused, to be greeted by a neighbours lean-to plastic conservatory thing, flying past after it had been ripped from the wall. Also remember walking to work to see loads of trees down, crushed cars and roof tiles everywhere. Remember standing in the Level and being able to see the General Hospital on the top of the Hill which had previously been screened by all the large trees, which had been flattened and were a tangled mess blocking Lewes road.

How many people have battery powered radios now, and the batteries for them?

FM radio on the mobile?

 

[Tooting Gull]

Seem to remember on teacher getting us to play Bingo in Latin.

Can't see that one taking off in classrooms these days...

 

[Muzzy]

Slept through it but I'd only been home about 10mins before it started. Woke up and wondered why the power was off. First realisation that something dramatic had happened was as I was walking down Elm Grove and it looked like a war zone. Still a bit tipsy from the night before I still didn't have a clue what had happened until I got into work and everyone was talking about a hurricane that had swept through.

 

[ofco8]

Was in bed and slept all night. When I woke up my wife said "You're not going to like it, but all the fences are down, the big apple tree is down, lots of roof tiles off and we've got no power!!!!"
At least the insurance company said " Just get it done and send us the bill." Did just that and they coughed up immediately.

 

[jaylondon22]

I was with my mum at the age of 2 taking my sister to hospital as she was in labour. The resultant kid went on to marry a bloke from saltdean called mr. El-abd!

 

[Questions]

Ditto. Seem to remember on teacher getting us to play Bingo in Latin.

All the ones.....................crura undecim

 

[snowdrop]

I was in Germany defending the Free World against those nasty Warsaw Pact troops that were going to rape and pillage the rest of the world!! Seem to remember that most of the defence work was carried out in Beer Kellars, scattered around West Germany, hard job but someone had to do it

 

[maltaseagull]

Woodingdean - working in Hailsham. Took hours to get to work in the morning and will never forget a truck driver telling me he had been overtaken by a boat on Hove seafront!

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Top flat in a big converted Victorian house in Bolnore Road, Haywards Heath.
Been married just 3 months.
Was commuting by train to Brighton at the time and it took them 3 days to clear the line.
Trees and power lines down everywhere - carnage ....

 

[footychick]

I was with my mum at the age of 2 taking my sister to hospital as she was in labour. The resultant kid went on to marry a bloke from saltdean called mr. El-abd!

Nice one