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“Earlier on today, apparently a lady rang the BBC and said she heard that there was a hurricane on the way. “Well, don't worry if you're watching, there isn't.” Those are the now infamous words which would come back to haunt BBC weather reporter Michael Fish, from Eastbourne.
The storm was, in fact, the worst to hit South East England for three centuries, causing record damage and killing 19 people. In the early hours of October 16, people across Sussex woke up to devastation after the freak hurricane travelled up the English Channel and battered the country overnight. Michael Fish, from Eastbourne, said there would be no storm (Image: Archive) Shoreham bore the brunt of the strongest winds, where gusts reached 115mph.
About 15 million trees were blown down including more than 20,000 at Wakehurst Place, near Ardingly. It took five years to clear the damage there. The storm caused an estimated £1 billion damage as trees were uprooted, windows smashed and roof tiles were blown away.
Famous landmarks were not spared. Hove beach huts were destroyed and a minaret at the Royal Pavilion smashed through the ceiling. Outside the Pavilion, large trees came crashing down, ripping up the pavements beneath them.
The storm killed four people in Sussex, ripped roofs away and overturned buildings. Emergency services were so overwhelmed by calls they had to call in help from the Army. In Peacehaven, 200 hundred caravans were torn loose from their moorings Two people were killed by falling chimneys, while a fisherman in Hastings was hit by a winch caught by the terrifying 108mph winds.
A fourth man collapsed and died as he tried to stop his garage door blowing away. In Peaceheaven, 200 hundred caravans were torn loose from their moorings and tossed around by the wind. Their inhabitants became part of the legions of residents left homeless by the hurricane.
One lady who lived there said people were looting the next day. The cover of what was then The Evening Argus on Friday October 16 showed the shattered caravans in Peacehaven under the headline “Hurricane!” Mark Oakley said his room was in the attic and he ended up with a chimney on the end of his bed. He said: “I lived in Park Crescent Terrace.
The chimney ended up on the end of my bed.” Mark said his dad worked as a builder, and while he was at college at the time, Mark ended up helping repair roofs for “the next two weeks”. Hove beach huts were destroyed (Image: Archive) Philip Schooley said he remembers his mum shouting for him to help his dad and brother outside during the storm.
He said: “I ran outside into the back garden where I saw my brother going up and down into the air holding onto the plastic and aluminium garage my dad bought.” The garage, which Phillip said took 2,500 nuts and bolts to put together, was only finished that day. He added: “I ran over as my dad was shouting at my brother to let it go while holding onto him.
As I reached my brother I grabbed his legs, as it shot up in the air even my feet came off the floor. “We fell on the driveway and watched it shoot back into the air, spin for a while. Then it snapped and went higher and ripped, sending pieces flying everywhere.
“For days and weeks we found pieces everywhere, even stuck in trees and some miles away from the house. He bought a concrete one after that.” The Level in Brighton was destroyed (Image: archive) Karen Voak remembers the impact in the centre of Brighton.
She said: “I remember going down to the level and the trees were gone and all I could see was St Peters church really clearly.” Julie Carden said she was awake all night and remembers how “devastating” it was. She said: “Our windows blew in, the garage wall fell down, tarmac ripped off driveways, bus stops flattened and roof tiles were flying around like confetti.
“I really remember the noises, going out at daylight to utter devastation. Then visiting Hove park and trees were all flattened.” Some of the impacts of the storm can still be seen in England’s woodland today, with some felled trees being left to be taken over by nature.
The insurance bill was £1.8 billion, the most expensive UK weather event in the history of the insurance industry..
