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During the night of Saturday 28th June 2008 Tristan saw one of the biggest storms (if not the biggest) since the May 2001 Hurricane. The weather deteriorated steadily throughout Saturday afternoon and by evening the wind (an East South Easterly) was blowing at over 60mph, with gusts at over 80mph. It eased down after midnight and by Sunday afternoon there was calm again. | |
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'It was our first serious storm since arriving on Tristan, and two things will stick in my mind. The first is that rain was extremely salty - evidence of plenty of seawater mixed into the torrential downpour. The second was the extreme changes of air pressure indoors. Our ears regularly popped as we sat out the storm. It reminded us of a rapid aircraft descent.' On Sunday 29th June at first light David drove around the Settlement on a damage assessment. He thought the community was lucky, as no-one was hurt, a few roofs were damaged (including David's home at The Residency) and there were some window breakages. The PWD storage warehouses have rather more daylight than before and there was minor damage to houses and Government buildings. But nothing too serious, although plenty of work to do to put things right. Left : boarded up door to an island home after storm damage |
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Right: PWD Storage Warehouse damage Far Right: Empty sea freight container lifted and blown over wall |
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The most striking result of the storm was the relocation of an empty sea freight container, blown over a wall into a field some 20 metres from its original location. At the Patches two huts were destroyed, and there was a serious landslip on the cliff by the west road at the bypass. This has resulted in the road effectively moving uncomfortably closer to the edge of the island. Right: A wooden container blown onto the approach path to the Administration Building. Photos and report from David Morley 1st July 2008 |
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