Share your storiesof the 1987 storm

The Hastings and Rother area was battered by the storm, which struck in the early hours of Friday October 16, saw winds gusting 96mph, uprooting trees, tearing off roofs and resulting in loss of life.

In Hastings a 67 year old holidaymaker died when a four ton chimney crashed through four storeys of the Queens Hotel. while Hastings fisherman Jimmy Read was killed when he was hit by the flying roof of a winch hut as he worked on the beach.

A number of historic churches suffered damage, while a whole line of mature pine trees in Alexandra park were turned to match-wood.

In Bexhill 50 people were left homeless as a result of the storm.

In the Rye area a number of wild boar, which were being farmed, escaped as fences were destroyed. They bred in the wild and the area still has a population of wild boar to this day.

People in the area were completely unprepared for the storm.

That day’s weather reports had failed to indicate a storm of such severity, an earlier, correct forecast having been negated by later projections

Do you have memories of the storm or were you affected by it? If so share your memories by mailing [email protected].