Dramatic CCTV footage from a café in Marsalforn shows waves surging down Triq il-Wied and engulfing outdoor tables and chairs – even though the establishment is not located directly on the seafront.
The video, shared by Coffee Circus Joy owner John Aldhouse, captures the moment storm-driven seas overwhelmed the creek area at 1:33am on Friday morning, lifting and dragging heavy furniture as strong winds battered Gozo.
“We’re on Triq il-Wied, about 50 metres from the seafront, facing the creek,” Mr Aldhouse said. “We’re not even on the seafront.”
In the footage, a cast-iron table base – fashioned from an old sewing machine stand — can be seen shifting under the force of the water.
“That table that moves has a cast-iron sewing machine base,” he noted, underscoring the intensity of the waves.
“That seating platform in the video is made of steel and marine plywood. Storm Harry moved it three metres down the street. It took six people to slide it back.”
The damage is not an isolated incident.
“Three times in the past two weeks we have had outdoor furniture damaged by waves,” Mr Aldhouse said. “Some of our neighbours who are using plastic furniture have had it washed away right down the street and/or smashed.”
The winter season has brought a succession of storms, with coastal communities bearing the brunt. For small businesses operating in seaside localities such as Marsalforn, repeated damage translates directly into financial strain.
Climate researcher John Paul Cauchi described the footage as a stark illustration of a growing reality.
“THIS is climate change in its experienced form. We are having extreme weather events, one after the other, on and on. Storm Harry was severe, but it will be a ‘normal’ storm over the coming decades as climate change accelerates.”
Dr Cauchi warned that such events will have “a discernible, felt, experienced impact on our lives”, affecting livelihoods, infrastructure and public life.
“Businesses will be ruined. Coastlines destroyed. Crops ruined, our food security subjected to ferry shipments. Bays once enjoyed by the public forever transformed. Landmarks decimated,” he said, adding that events such as Carnival and traditional festas could face increasing disruption due to extreme heatwaves and severe weather.
He also questioned Malta’s preparedness and political response, arguing that coastal flooding is already being experienced in areas such as Marsaskala and that renewable energy uptake remains limited.
“These extreme weather events are being experienced worldwide,” he said, pointing to flooding in southern Europe, disappearing glaciers and extreme heatwaves elsewhere. “We reap what we sow. We are at 1.5°C of warming, heading to 3°C – even more if tipping points are crossed.”
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