Two beach huts in Port Erin were carried off by the tide and drifted across the bay as Storm Boelo hit the island overnight into Sunday, BBC News Isle of Man reported.
The huts belong to Kathryn Hodgson, who has operated Port Erin Beach Huts for around five years. She told the BBC that Saturday evening and the early hours of Sunday brought “unusual” conditions. A south-westerly wind, gusts of up to 70mph (113km/h) and a high tide had left her expecting the huts to be hit.
The BBC said amber warnings had been issued for severe gales and coastal overtopping, covering the whole island from Saturday evening into Sunday morning.
Ms Hodgson said that, with the help of ten volunteers, she managed to move five of her nine huts to safety. Three were moved on Friday and two on Saturday morning, before the wind grew too strong to continue. The other four stayed on the beach.
She said some people had criticised her for not moving them all. She pointed out that she runs a small business, is not a joiner and has no flatbed truck.
She found out what had happened through messages from the owner of a nearby sauna. She told the BBC she had feared all four remaining huts would be lost and broken up. When she reached the beach at first light, she was surprised to find the two that had drifted away still in one piece, calling it “like a miracle”.
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