17 Feb 2022

17.02.2022 After the storm. Now wait for tomorrow's hurricane!

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 Thursday 17th 41F, heavy overcast. Moving rapidly across from the west. First light at 07.30 show the trees are all still there and rocking in the remaining gusts. No sign of damage in the still poor light. We heard a few roars around bedtime but it did not keep me awake. No doubt my wife will beg to differ.

No sign of any damage on my walk. A few twigs blown out of the hedges onto the roads. Just the usual.

A new and far more dangerous storm is expected tomorrow night. Its path will be right over us. With gusts to 37ms. 84mph! Worse still is the SW direction of the wind before midnight. This sounds as catastrophic as the Great Storm of 1999! Which had a devastating effect over our local area. With five days loss of electricity and water. The barns of the farm, behind us, were literally ripped apart. Causing massive damage to the house joined in the middle. 

We lost an area of our NW roof covering after it banged deafeningly all night. I had to repair it myself and was ripped off by the local builder's merchant for half a damaged ladder. Then had to drive for miles to find a roof ladder hook. A telegraph pole with a TV aerial blew down and severed our water supply. I had to dig down and then find a fitting to join it back together.

A neighbour's double garage, corrugated steel roof, flew high overhead for hundreds of yards. Before landing in a field as a tight roll beyond us. The local supermarkets were stripped bare next morning. We could not heat the house for nearly a week because there was no power for the water pump! Mid-winter too. We have an independent wood stove this time. 

No news about the storm back then because there was no power for TV or radio. We had no idea when we would get power or water back on. When the power finally came back on there was nothing about the storm. Nothing! It was already old news. Besides, the storm missed anywhere "important." Like the vital, national TV studios in Copenhagen. Desperately needing to analyze the latest football results.

A late morning drive to the shops. Saw several Kestrels hovering over the road. Several, larger birds of prey perched in roadside trees.

 

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