Cyclone Harry wreaked havoc on Italian coasts this week. The National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI) says the level of destruction on Sicily has left the island “unrecognizable.” And the Civil Protection authorities issued red alerts for Sicily, Sardinia, and Calabria at the beginning of the week. Video footage has flooded the internet in the days since, with everything from streets to everyday businesses flooding, while coastal roads have been pounded with storm surges.
“Entire communities have been struck to the core, transformed, and in many cases disfigured in terms of their structure, their identity, and their historical connection to their surroundings,” said ANCI president Paolo Amenta and secretary general Mario Emanuele Alvano.
The storm also left the people of the Mediterranean islands stranded, as outlets like EuroWeeklyNews reported wave heights have reached as high as 26 feet.
“The maritime fury has forced the suspension of all ferries and hydrofoils to Sardinia and smaller islands, leaving these communities isolated. In the Messina area, the impact was so severe that a section of the seaside promenade in Santa Teresa di Riva collapsed entirely,” EuroWeeklyNews wrote.
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The waves haven’t been the only relentless part of the storm though. As much as 300 millimeters (12 inches) of rain were forecast to accumulate over just two days with winds up to 130 kilometers per hour (81 mph). The most intense parts of the storm have passed now, but local authorities were still on alert as of Thursday while beginning the process of recovering from a once-in-a-century storm.
