Hurricane Season.

Southern Britain has begun a massive clear-up operation after the worst night of storms in living memory. The date of this event October 16th 1987.At least 13 people are known to have died and many dozens have been injured, mostly by falling trees and buildings.Rescue workers faced an unprecedented number of call-outs as winds hit 94 mph (151 km/h) in the capital and over 110 mph (177 km/h) in the Channel Islands.
Weather forecasters have faced criticism for failing to predict the severity of the weather.The worst affected areas were along the south coast - in Kent five people died including two seamen in Dover Harbour, and in Dorset two firemen were killed as they answered an emergency call.The stormy weather was first predicted at the beginning of the week when the Meteorological Office identified a depression strengthening over the Atlantic.Last night BBC weatherman Michael Fish reassured viewers the system would track along the English Channel, but instead it cut a swathe right across the south of the country.Commuters were today advised to stay at home as hundreds of roads and railway lines remain blocked by fallen trees.Some houses and apartments had their roofs blown off. On the Isle of Wight the famous Shanklin Pier, nearly a century old, was reduced to driftwood and in Jaywick, Essex, a caravan park was flattened.Along the south coast damage to yachts and boat yards was extensive. In Folkestone a Sea Link ferry was blown aground and its crew had to be rescued.

The insurance industry is bracing itself for huge payouts. Most household policies cover storm damage, and thousands of homeowners have already started claims.In the London of Borough of Ealing alone, 600 calls came from people whose homes and cars had been struck by falling trees and debris.Len Turner of Ealing Council said central funding from the government might be needed to deal with the exceptional clean-up costs local councils are facing."It's going to take an enormous amount of effort and money; I hope we can look to the Government to support us because the burden on local rate payers is going to be enormous."

The storm cost a total of 18 lives and an estimated £1 billion in repairs and clear-up costs. Hundreds of people were injured.Around 15 million trees were lost and hundreds of thousands of homes were without power for more than 24 hours.By the time most people went to bed, exceptionally strong winds had not even been mentioned in national radio and TV weather broadcasts.Michael Fish's famous line that there wouldn't be a hurricane was actually correct. He was referring to a tropical cyclone in the West Atlantic.Officially the gusts were locally hurricane force in strength but not sufficiently widespread.According to the Met Office the last storm of similar magnitude in England occurred in 1703.

for those of us who remember this night, and the difficulties of travelling in the days to follow have the smallest measure of understanding of those displaced or have lost their homes and livelehoods from Hurricane Katrina and today, Rita.

Personally I cannot truly fathom the unfolding tradgedy from New Orleans and a surrounding area the size of England caused by Katrina alone. The 24 hour news coverage confines the horror through the lens alone and those who have witnessed the devistation and aftermath of Katrina confim that news coverage is helping to define the aid that is needed, but cannot express the damage done.

I do recall October 1987 in the UK, this morning as Rita ravages the southern gulf coast line between Texas and Louisiana, there is a gentle breeze blowing under blue skies and whispy white clouds in South East Pennsylvania.

I am pleased to have played a very small part in helping Charity in Action who locally have been helping those in Gulfsport Mississippi. While the world media have concentrated on New Orleans, an area equal to 0.2% of the total area affected by Katrina, there are others equally in need.

Everyone I know has played some part in reaching out to help those displaced by Katrina. Personally I have been disgusted by the federal fingerpointing within days of Katrina while New Orleans still was surrounded by several inches of water and the levys had not been repaired. Sadly it was a classic case of government workers pointing to other groups to defer blame.

Personally speaking I believe the only bad decision made was not evacuating earlier. FEMA in particualar responded well with the resources they had in the time available. One challenge was the decision to use the sports stadium in New Orleans for those who could not be transported out of the city. Only to have the stadium loose power and those inside suffer the worst possible conditions, only beaten by the flooding outside.

Meanwhile, while I sit here in South Eastern PA, under a warm autumnal sun, my thoughts and prayers are with all of those who have had their lives and livelehoods turned upside down thanks to Katrina and this morning Rita.

It is my hope that Rita is the last of the hurricanes that seeks to destroy and damage America, Americans and at the last count, 1 Briton dead and over 30 still missing from Katrina.