In a message dated 13/11/98 05:39:20 GMT, you write: << Mary, I've never heard of tornados in your area. Are they that rare..? I know that our American hurricanes don't ordinarily hit you, and yet it's not too many years since one did dreadful damage to our cousins just outside of London. >> Hi Penny, mercifully they are rare but we have had some pretty freakish weather in the past few years. I think it was '96 when we were all nearly blown away, this would be the year your cousins suffered damage. Here on my cliff top it was really frightening but I was lucky and suffered no damage but all around roofs were torn off, trees and cables down. Mary.