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In years to come all of us will remember the night of 1st November 2023. Here I write about my personal recollections of the days leading up to the Storm as well as that dreadful night itself.

The whole week was surreal in that for me there was this sense that what was about to happen was not normal and the memories would be with me probably for the rest of my life. I can clearly recollect the Great Storm of 1987 but as I was then living in Central London and there were no weather warnings as now and of course no social media, even though the destruction was terrible, I cannot remember being concerned about that storm in the days leading up to it and in fact slept the whole night and was amazed in the morning to see the havoc that it had caused even in the middle of South London.

Last year of course Storm Ciaran was widely publicised days before it hit the Island. I was being told by my children to think about moving out of my bungalow and two nights before in that dark and pouring rain my youngest son, my landlord and his son, helped me move everything that could move from my garden to a more sheltered spot including Colditz the reindeer! Those of you who know me well will be aware that I live in a small bungalow right on the front in St Brelades Bay and how exposed a site it is. The weekend before the storm the waves were so high, they were hitting my front windows and mounds of seaweed were all over my garden. This is unusual and I think added to my sense of something momentous being about to happen.

Initially I was determined not to move out the night of the Storm Ciaron and went back home as normal. I was very nervous, and I think there was a build up of the tension we had all been feeling that week in the office. I did not want to leave my home and my cat, Millie home alone but I was also really scared at the thought of spending the night in what my eldest son called ‘my shack on the beach’ alone. Common sense eventually kicked in and I decided I would book into L ’Horizon for the night. I would put Millie in the back room and hope for the best. Strangely I then felt compelled to pack a large suitcase with all my most treasured (smaller) possessions. This included photo albums, photo frames, and my Little Panada who had been rescued by me from the middle of the road having fallen from a rubbish truck at least 60 years ago!

I felt safe at L ‘Horizon although probably should not have booked a sea view room as the noise of the sea for the next 12 hours or so was horrendous. All of us probably still have the hundreds of messages that record that night and the complete disbelief when the tornado struck in St Saviour and the hope that everyone close to us was safe. Despite not having any real sleep, I remember that night as one where we were all brought closer together through social media and I was so thankful the following morning to learn from my landlord that there was no damage to my bungalow apart from guttering being pulled loose. Even the sea held back from the forecast heights in the Bay.

The breakfast that morning seemed so welcome, and I then struggled home with large suitcase and just slept with Millie beside me. The damage that was being shown all over the Island was so very sad but by a miracle no one had been killed and I knew that over time our Island would begin to repair itself.

Memories of that week will fade for all of us over time but I know I will always remember the comfort of the Family Team WhatsApp group that night and all the support we tried to give each other.