Storm surge took this house in Hemsby, Norfolk, overnight
The biggest storm surge in 60 years has hit East Anglia overnight with devastating consequences.
In Hemsby, Norfolk, five bungalows were torn apart and thrown down the cliff face. In heart rending scenes, Steven Connolly, 54, and his wife Jackie, 64, were in the local pub when they heard their house was in trouble. Locals rushed to help and formed a human chain to try and rescue some of the couple’s possessions before the sea took their home. Mr and Mrs Connolly managed to rescue their two kittens before the bungalow was torn in two and was strewn down on to the beach below.
Mr Connolly said:
“People we’ve never even met were helping out, it was amazing.
Suddenly we heard a shout ‘it’s going, it’s going’ and we watched our kitchen get ripped apart. The whole house collapsed before our eyes.
We’re devastated at what we’ve lost but at least me, Jackie and the kittens are safe.”
He added:
“Once the surge is over, they’re going to sweep the beach and we may be able to recover some of our possessions from a skip.
When we bought the bungalow there was about seven feet separated us and the sea.
We always knew it might be hit by erosion but never thought it could happen so suddenly.
We can’t even begin to think about what happens next.”
For those of us lucky enough to not live right on the coast, it certainly puts things into perspective.
Gavin Maclure's Musings 