WOW! Look at this, and see especially the comments about global warming!

NOTE: I did a search in Jeeves for "hurricane and Tristan De Cunha and came up with a mother lode, including a Met Office discussion complete with charts and sat pics. The storm started as a cold low and became tropical, moved towards Brazil...sound familiar???

S.Atlantic : Official Hurricane Report
Submitted by SARTMA.com (Juanita Brock) 17.11.2003 (Current Article)
On 21 May 2001, Tristan suffered a devastating hurricane where every building on the Island, save, St. Joseph's Catholic Church, was damaged.

Photos (c) James Glass

Hurricane hits Tristan da Cunha

Monday 21 May 2001

The Hospital Damage was tragic. A new X-Ray machine can cost as much as £600,000.00

Following is the official report that was written by James Glass, Chief Islander and Acting Administrator of Tristan da Cunha, in order to give readers brief accounts of the damage caused by the Hurricane.

Medical Department

The east gable end of the Hospital fell in, and a quarter of the roofing torn off. The x-ray room and theatre room was totally destroyed and waterlogged. A list of the machines that were damaged and urgently needs replacing will be faxed to you, as they need to catch the vessel departing 7th June from Cape Town otherwise we will only get them in September!!! A patient (boy aged 8) was in hospital at the time.

Large holes were ripped in the roof on the Medical Officer's House, and all the carpets; furniture and clothing were wet.

Administration Department

Ridging on the east and west Gable ends of the Residency were torn off and, dining room etc got wet. A falling tree crushed the Greenhouse. Three longboats that were secured outside of the garden to the east were blown into the Residency garden.

A quarter of the roof on the Governor's house (Bungalow) was torn off, and the house waterlogged.

Administration building one window blown in and floors waterlogged, two computers and one printer down due to water.

Island Store Department

Holes in the asbestos roof of the Island Store (supermarket) caused by flying asbestos sheeting, and the floors flooded, clothing and foodstuff damage. The roof of the Gas Store torn off.

Mechanical Department

Asbestos roof completely ripped off Mechanical Department Workshop.

The Sawmill, in the distance, suffered the loss of roof and equipment.

PWD C & M Department

A few sheets of asbestos roofing came off the PWD General Store, and the building was flooded

Agriculture Department

East Gable end of Agriculture Wood Store fell in and asbestos roofing torn off. The Sawmill was badly damaged. Top of Agriculture Greenhouse and tunnel roof destroyed. 30 cattle dead and the count of sheep are unknown at this time. Roof torn off one of the two slaughterhouses. This is only in the settlement area, the weather has not allowed us to visit the back of the island, or the islands of Nightingale and Inaccessible.

Telecommunications Department

Asbestos ridging and roofing blown off the Radio Station, causing all the radio equipment to get waterlogged. The window was blown in and the satellite phone/equipment sucked out of window. Urgently need a HF radio of approximately 500w, for communications to Cape Town and elsewhere. The 100ft Jaguar mast (of ten iron sections) is leaning to the west, and will have to be cut down.

The radio equipment given to the Island by DFID during the Fisheries Project of 1996, was able to run communications between Cape Town and Tristan, for the 6 days whilst the power was cut of to the village and will continue until we can have another transmitter brought in.

Electrical Department

Electrical wires blown down all through the Village, like tangled fishing lines. No power since Monday 21 May, until today. A temporary power line was run to the Administration Building and the Island Store freezer after three days. A few sheets of asbestos were blown of their main building and floor waterlogged.

Police Department

Roof torn off the shed, which covers the rescue boat.

Natural Resources Department.

One computer waterlogged.

The Community Centre and Pub still are not repaired.

Community Centre and the only Pub destroyed

Asbestos roofing and overhead verandas torn off back and front of the Prince Philip Hall, with other large holes in the roof, the loft in the main hall fell in and the building is waterlogged. I am having a meeting with the council to see what can be done, but I presume that the only option would be to take the roof off completely, because if we have another gale, it may cause damage to the surrounding houses.

Two sheets of asbestos roofing off the back of the Café, and the inside waterlogged.

I am holding a meeting with the Government Heads of the various Departments, and will only know the full extent of the damage to their department then. At this time it is not possible for me to put a figure to the damage but I expect it to exceed at least two years of our revenue.

This is just Government buildings, a number of Islander houses were also damage, asbestos roofing blown off, windows broken, guttering blown off etc, and every house had water in either through their windows or roof. The roofing was torn of the Anglican Church Vestry and the Tower Bell blown down.

The biggest problem on Tristan at the moment is that 90% of the roofing is made of asbestos from South Africa, which gets brittle after time. When a sheet breaks or cracks its has to be replaced, often having to be cut by saw. Bits and pieces of asbestos litter the village and are busy being cleared at the moment. Although this is all the islanders can afford with their average monthly income of £152.43 per month. Not only are it an environmental disaster, but a health hazard as well, but what can we do?

Is there anyway in which the British Government could help the people of Tristan da Cunha to get rid of asbestos, granting a bulk of dipped Aluminium sheeting at a cost the islanders can afford.

There are only just over a hundred houses, each house taking approximately 40 sheets. This I believe could be the first affect of global warming seen at Tristan, with more weather

effects to come in the future.

I am setting up a disaster Fund, to help cover the expenses of roofing, the houses of the less fortunate. If you know any charities that would like to donate any amount, please ask them to contact me. It may also help to advertise for the rebuilding of the Community Centre.

I will come back to you with the total cost of damage, but it could take quite a while.

Kind regards

James Glass

Acting Administrator

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