Remembering the Great Storm of 1987: Twenty five years since Kent woke to devastation
Trees fell on roads across Kent during the Great
Storm of '87
It was the morning after the night before that no one will ever
forget.
People across Kent were waking up to the devastation left by the
Great Storm of 1987 exactly 25 years ago today.
Winds of more than 130 miles-an-hour battered the county,
flattening trees and ripping tiles from rooves.
The clean-up operation was widespread, with the damage meaning
some areas of Kent were without power for three
weeks.
The town of Sevenoaks was among those left ravaged by the
hurricane-force winds - with six of its seven iconic trees
uprooted.
Jill Davidson, a junior councillor at the time, said: "There was
an awful amount of damage - a massive amount. It was very fortunate
there were few injuries, becasue it was in the middle of the
night.
"It was quite impossible to get around - you had to cut your way
through.
"We've been known round the world now as Oneoak because of the
iconic picture of Sevenoaks' one remaining tree meant we'd change
our name overnight... until we put the new ones in."
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Four people lost their lives in Kent in a night that changed the
face of our county forever.
It was the worst storm to hit England since the Great Storm of
1703 (284 years earlier) and was responsible for the deaths of at
least 22 people in England and France combined (18 in England, at
least four in France).
Hurricane force winds battered Kent and the south east in what
weather experts described as a ‘once in 200 years storm’.
Most of the storm damage occurred between 2am and 6am on the
morning of October 16, with winds reaching up to 110mph.
Fifteen million trees were lost across the area affected by the
storm.
Many residents cowered in their beds as the storm passed over
their homes and then woke to scenes of devastation including fallen
trees, broken fences, damaged cars and slates stripped from
roofs.
Many rail lines had to be closed because of fallen trees and
wrecked power lines.
Repairs cost billions of pounds and took months, if not years,
to complete.
What are your memories of the Great Storm? Leave your comments
below.
15/10/12
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