The very strong winds that hit the islands yesterday knocked Malta off its feet, as street furniture suffered substantial damage, flights were diverted and the Gozo Channel service delayed.
The strong winds also damaged the Ħaġar Qim canopy. First reports indicated that the damage was not serious but a thorough investigation is to be carried out.
John Darmanin, weather forecaster at the Meteorological Office, said the wind fluctuated between force eight and nine, described as “gale and strong gale force”.
Wind force was predicted to drop during the night to stand between force six and seven in the early afternoon today and force five tonight.
Mr Darmanin said forecasters expected force eight winds to hit the island during this time of year and Malta usually experienced gale force winds five times a month between January and March.
The Civil Protection Department received several calls for assistance throughout the day.
A number of drivers were stuck in areas prone to flooding when it rains heavily, particularly Msida, Birkirkara and Gżira. About 60 trees were damaged or uprooted while electricity poles were twisted with the force of the wind but no serious injuries were reported. A woman was slightly injured when a tree fell on her car on the Rabat in the evening.
Land commuters were not the only ones to encounter travelling difficulties. Gozo Channel trips were also affected and the vessels battled the waves on the right-hand side of Comino instead of taking the regular route on the left of the island. Although safer, this stretched the 25-minute journey to 45 minutes. There were no cancellations.
Several flights were delayed and two were diverted. Ryanair’s flight scheduled to land at 12.05 p.m. was diverted to Trapani and arrived in Malta at 4.05 p.m. while an easyJet flight scheduled to arrive at 11.40 p.m. was diverted to Palermo and landed here at 3.30 p.m.
The wind disrupted the electricity supply to Bidnija and parts of Burmarrad when, at 11.51 a.m., a fault developed on a high tension overhead cable connecting the two areas.
Although the electricity supply was restored in most parts of Burmarrad, Enemalta Corporation said the danger posed by the excessive wind force made it impossible for its technicians to work on the rest of the line and the supply might be restored later on today.
The wind sweeping through the island left tens of asylum seekers in the Ħal Far open centre homeless.
The director of the Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers, Alexander Tortell said 70 persons were affected by the uprooting of three tents at the Ħal Far tent village, which houses 530 residents.
Two tents were badly damaged and one was completely destroyed. There were conflicting reports on whether the affected people were moved to mobile homes already on site.
The centre’s residents said the incident took place yesterday at about 7 a.m. and they had nowhere to sleep as a result of the damage sustained. Two people were also hospitalised, they said.