St Mary's School July Storm Impact
St Mary's School re-opened in termporary accommodation on Monday 5th August.
This updated page shows early photographs of damage to the school, followed by a photo report of the re-opening of the school below.
Aerial photos taken by Robin Repetto using a drone camera on 30th July 2019
View looking south-east towards the 1961 volcanic cone
shows large areas of roofing torn from rooms off the entrance hall and central quadrangle.
View looking south showing the extensive damage above St Mary's School Hall,
beyond, the large blue-roofed building with the flagpole outside is the Prince Philip Hall;
Previously published photos of the school taken by Acting Administrator Lorraine Repetto
View of the damaged roof of St Mary's School viewed from the internal quadrangle.
Two views, above and below, of the main hall at St Mary's School, showing the gaping roof
(separate from the upper photo damage) and an early view from Robin Repetto of debris scattered on the floor.
The high roof of the hall and extensive roofing damage to the main classroom roofs,
mean that repair of the school will be a major job.
The school is situated at the eastern end of the Settlement and bore the first brunt
of the south-east gale on the night of Thursday 18th July.
Setting up a temporary school
Work proceeded to set up a temporary school in the Tristan Crèche and adjacent rooms. The work took longer than planned, so classes didn't begin until Monday 5th August. The Crèche needed to be made watertight and adjoining rooms usually used for accommodation converted for educational use.
Photo from James Glass showing the Tristan Crèche which was damaged by the July storm,
but can be brought back to use for school lessons more quickly than the extensively damaged St Mary's School.
An early photograph take by Lorraine Repetto soon after the storm struck showing
part of the accommodation rooms alongside the Tristan Crèche.
Note the debris of equipment, including children's toys used in the Crèche.
The scenes here show the scale of the job to get this complex ready to receive pupils and teach them safely. The Tristan da Cunha Association has now opened its Emergency Fund. UK taxpayers are asked to fill in the Gift Aid form as we may extend the scope of the Tristan Education Trust Fund to make grants to the Tristan Government to pay for refurbishment of St Mary's School which will be major, and as yet unknown, expense.
School Re-Opens in Crèche Complex: Photos from Kelly Green
St Mary's School re-opened on Monday 5th August after a break of over two weeks following the July Storm. The photos below were taken on the opening day and show bright, airy but cramped rooms all situated in temporary buildings which normally house the Crèche and also provide accommodation for visiting contractors. The Crèche remains in its familiar space, but the school occupies the smaller accommodation pods.
The Crèche
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| Class 4 | Another classroom |
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Left: The central corridor We await news of where expats |
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| Crèche and Playgroup having lunch | The Playgroup Room |