The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying that they wanted to provide assistance to the Italian government and people following the devastation caused by what has become one of the worst Mediterranean cyclones in years. The UAE extended their condolences and stated they would provide any necessary humanitarian assistance to help those affected by the cyclone.
The cyclone, named “Harry”, caused severe flooding across southwestern Italy, including regions such as Sicily, Sardinia, and Calabria. The Italian government declared a 12-month state of emergency to expedite the unlocking and use of federal funds necessary for rebuilding damaged infrastructure.
The effects of the storm have been felt by many people; even if there was not a single large-scale loss of life, the impact that it has had on communities and cities has been devastating and will continue to grow. In Niscemi, a massive landslide caused by several days of rain caused entire streets to be left hanging over the top of a collapsing cliff; 1500+ residents were forced to evacuate. As soon as emergency teams arrived in Niscemi, they swiftly took action to stabilise the ground and prevent further landslides.
Many cities and towns are experiencing economic losses, with local officials and regional leaders reporting that initial damage estimates for storm recovery exceed hundreds of millions, possibly over a billion euros, to date. Some civil service estimates for southern Italy are wildly different than those reported by local government. The actual damage could likely be much greater and will continue to rise as the engineers begin to assess any unstable areas on the hillsides or poor infrastructure and the potential for more landslides in the near future.
The destruction also created a strange flashback in time: storm surges stripped the beaches of Sardinia of their sand and uncovered tombs and pottery from the Phoenician period, returning artefacts that had been buried hundreds of years ago to civilisation at a time when the people of our current time must cope with great loss. Archaeologists, as well as the Italian Carabinieri, have placed several sites under protection for study.
According to scientists, this phenomenon of heavy rainfall, high seas, and unusually intense storm activity in the Mediterranean is associated with a casing of the ocean’s surface and continues to be hazardous due to the atmospheric conditions associated with the rapidly increasing temperature of the sea and the increasing occurrence of marine heat waves. These conditions provide the storms with added energy and moisture. The most current record of the Mediterranean’s temperature indicates that the Mediterranean has reached its warming maximum in the last year; meteorologists will continue to warn that there is no end to the impacts that these changes will have on the next severe storm event, such as Cyclone Harry.
As Italy progresses through a challenging period of stabilisation and rebuilding, the UAE’s statement is both a diplomatic gesture and a practical precursor: in earlier catastrophic events, rapid international assistance and expertise flew in from outside the region. For the time being, rescuing families at risk, stabilising collapsing slopes, and determining the long-term plan for returning to the island communities has been the key focus.
