1987 Great Storm

Question 1

Impacts

Answer 1

18 people died in the Uk and 4 in France

• Total cost of devastation was estimated in excess of £1 bn
• 15 million trees were lost
• Thousands of homes were without power for a few days
• Fallen trees blocked roads and railways causing transport delays
• A ship capsized in Dover and a channel ferry was driven ashore near Folkestone
• Worst storm since 1703 and a one in 200 year event for Southern England
• Some wild boar escaped from captivity during the storm after their enclosures were damaged by falling trees

Question 2

Short term Responses

Answer 2

• The charity Common ground were trying to prevent unnecessary destruction of trees which had fallen but were still living
• Most household insurance covered damage
• Trees were cleared from roads and damaged housing/ power lines was repaired
• Warnings of the server conditions were issued but to emergency authorities (london fire brigade) and not to homeowners

Question 3

Long term responses

Answer 3

• Took days or even months before businesses and school were able to reopen
• Computer models refined to improve forecasting
• Met office improved the quantity and quality of weather observations due to criticism
• Months of work to get infrastructure to operate again
• Large amount of money was put into the post storm clean up of forests and wooded areas

Question 4

Why wasn’t the storm properly tracked?

Answer 4

• During the evening of 15th October radio and TV forecasters mentioned strong winds but they indicated that heavy rain would be the main feature rather than strong winds. There was no warning of strong winds.
• The only severe weather warnings were to emergency agencies such as the London Fire Brigade
• Strong winds of 70 knots were recorded in the south east of England which is where the greatest damage occurred. These strong winds were recorded continuously for 3 - 4 consecutive hours.

Question 5

Could the impacts of the storm have been worse?

Answer 5

• If people were given the same warnings as the emergency services then maybe they would of been much better prepared for the storm rather than just assuming that there would be no storm at all
• The storm was a 1 in 200 year event so no one would have experienced it before - there would have been no measures in place to know what to do for when the storm arrived