The Aftermath of Cyclone Harry

Having lived in the South in the U.S., I was accustomed to hurricanes and the damage they do. What I wasn't prepared for was my first cyclone!

What's the Difference Between a Cyclone and a Hurricane?

As Gemini just taught me, there aren't a lot of differences between cyclones and hurricanes. It's more about where they happen. Tropical hurricanes happen in warm weather, which is why September is hurricane season in Florida and the Caribbean.

But cyclones, as I recently found out, happen in cooler weather. They're also shorter and, at least with Harry, less intense.

Now that we're clear, let me share what happened in Calabria and Sicily recently.

When Being "Weather-Paranoid" Makes Sense

It's been raining in Calabria for what feels like forever. But a few weeks ago, I noticed announcements that schools would be closed, and people seemed to be freaking out a bit.

I met with a client who just moved to Soverato and told him, "People are being really weather paranoid. I don't get it."

I soon did.

Cyclone Harry hit the coast of Calabria and Sicily with winds reaching 90 miles per hour (which would put it at a Category 1 hurricane). The waves went crazy on the coast. Roads flooded. Debris washed up.

But really, we had no idea. Here, in the mountains, it just rained, as it has been doing for weeks. Nothing was really out of the ordinary, other than the sheer amount of rain.

But...I realized maybe those Italians who cancelled everything in anticipation had known what I had not.

The Next Day...

I hopped on Facebook, which is the fastest place to find out what's happening locally. I was shocked.

Catanzaro Lido was completely flooded. There were videos of restaurant owners trying to push the water out. There were people getting around the streets in boats, a scene all too familiar to someone who remembers Hurricane Katrina.

The lungomare of Davoli was ripped up, as if by an angry giant. Entire trees washed ashore. Parts of the train system's tracks were destroyed further down the coast.

Here in the mountains, we had a few minor landslides that sent stones and mud across the streets.

But the worst damage happened in Sicily. The town of Niscemi experienced a landslide that pulled houses off the cliff and forced citizens to evacuate. Since the rains haven't fully stopped, there's still a risk for more damage.

It broke my heart, thinking of people who had nowhere to go. Again, it's a feeling I've experienced in the U.S. whenever there's a major storm. Still, I thought the weather was pretty chill here in Italy.

I asked Mamma when the last cyclone had hit. She didn't remember one in her lifetime, though there was a bad storm that caused damage about 10 years ago.

Piano, Piano Back to Normal

It warmed my broken heart to see people immediately jump into action. Once the waters receded in Catanzaro Lido, the citizens righted everything, and it looks fairly normal.

Our mountain rock slides were quickly cleaned up so cars could pass.

But some things will take longer. The Davoli lungomare suffered €250,000 worth of damage. And the people of Niscemi need housing. Italy, particularly the south, does not move quickly, and I worry how long it will take to recover.

The word is that the government, and maybe the European Union, will provide funding for the reconstruction. But if I've learned anything living in Italy, I know we won't be back to "cento percento" (100%) any time soon.