Storm made garage roof peel off like 'sardine tin'

A couple whose garage roof was torn off during Storm Goretti have described the moment as sounding like a "sardine tin being opened".

Storm winds reached 90mph (145kmph) on Thursday night causing damage to at least 110 trees, saw about 100 roads closed and led to 50 people being evacuated out of their homes.

Andy and Julie Lemee's house was left without power and heating after strong winds ripped the roof off their garage at their home on Barras Lane.

She said the moment was the "scariest thing I've ever heard" and was made worse by her husband's blindness.

Julie Lemee was at the top of the stairs at about 21:00BST when she saw the garage roof begin to tear off through a window.

"It was so frightening, my husband is blind as well, so it was awful," she said.

Andy Lemee said the experience was "absolutely terrifying" and he had never heard anything like it before.

"It was like a sardine tin being opened and the whole lot was peeling back and clanging, it all rolled into the back garden," he said.

"Obviously when that happened it was pouring with rain, then the rain was getting in on the electrics."

"So we had no roof, no electric, we had nothing," he added.

Julie called Guernsey Electricity whose engineers worked on the property until 03:00 and managed to restore some power.

Julie Lemee said she felt "numb, drained and tired" and the worry had not gone after the experience.

"We had a death in the family as well recently so we've been dealing with that," she said.

"We will get through it because we are Guernsey people and we are stubborn, we will stick together."

The couple is now working with roofing companies to fix their garage and thanked their neighbours for their help.

Julie Lemee said: "If you'd have asked me last night, you know freezing cold, water pouring in, I'd have said well I feel very much alone.

"To have all this help is amazing, we've got a lovely family that all help us but the neighbours as well, so I don't feel alone anymore."

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