Cleansing Director says there's wreckage across all of Malta

Director General of the Cleansing and Maintenance Division, Ray Deguara said that the effects of the storm were not limited to coastline areas. 

"There's wreckage all over Malta. There are 50 personnel out there right now to try and clear debris and make roads safe again," he said. 

All areas around the island have been affected by the gale force winds on early Sunday morning. While the Gozo channel was still maintaining operations, other sectors stalled their service until the storm subsides: the Catamaran between Malta and Sicily and the Malta Freeport among others.

"The entire area between Attard and Saqqajja and promenade areas like St Julian's and Sliema are the worst hit," Deguara explained, adding that trees had suffered the most damage. 

Even trees with sizeable barks were torn apart: a testament to how powerful the storm was

A tree collapsed on a car in San Gwann

Trees all over the country were shorn, split and felled by winds going up to 70 knots throughout the early hours of the morning. Several on social media published photographs depicting the extent of the wreckage—from trees with a wide berth being split in two, to trees uprooted from pavements and infrastructure landing on parked cars. 

"The problem isn't just fallen trees that are blocking the roads. It's also the trees that have been loosened, the ones about to fall—those are a serious problem too," Deguara said. 

Electricity poles were also damaged in the storm

He explained how most of the debris is being laid aside while more is collected. This will be thrown away when operations conclude. He told MaltaToday that he cannot as yet account for the sheer amount of material collected.

"It's difficult to work in the constant wind and rain that is still pounding the workers out there," Deguara said. The Environmental Landscapes Consortium and the Civil Protection Department are collaborating with the Cleansing Division. 

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