Minister, Opposition leader thank the public for heeding storm warnings

Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri has thanked the public for heeding warnings issued by the authorities ahead of the storm which swept over Malta on Monday and Tuesday.

He also thanked the forces of law and order and other essential personnel for working in difficult circumstances through the extreme weather to keep essential services going.

Speaking in parliament, Camilleri said that while there were quite a lot of damage, none was major and no one was seriously injured.

The Civil Protection Department (CPD) and police handled nearly 300 separate calls before 2pm on Tuesday. The CPD was the busiest entity, assisting in 197 cases involving uprooted trees, hazardous billboards, electrical fires, and fuel spills. Police officers intervened in 54 incidents, including rescuing individuals from vehicles caught in floodwaters and managing risks from shattered glass and collapsing balconies. The AFM assisted the police and also responded to two maritime-related incidents as the sea conditions became treacherous.

Nearly 90% of students skipped school on Tuesday, with only 3,147 out of roughly 27,000 children turning up in government schools. Furthermore, over two-thirds of toddlers who are usually taken to childcare centres stayed at home as families and workers heeded warnings to stay indoors. 

The minister said the storm is expected to continue to 6pm, not 4pm as previously forecast, and then ease. Concluding the minister said he was continuing to urge everyone to be responsible and vigilant.

Call for compensation for damages

Opposition leader Alex Borg also thanked the forces of law and order, essential personnel and volunteers for their work. He also expressed solidarity with those who suffered damages, notably businesses in Marsascala and Marsaxlokk, farmers, teachers who kept the schools open, Gozo Channel crews who maintained the service for as long as they could, and the public for observing the instructions issued to them.

Borg urged the government to offer compensation to those who had suffered damages, particularly those whose income was affected. 

Storm's impact on health services

Earlier, when replying to opposition questions, Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela told parliament that essential medical services were unaffected by the storm 

He said the most pressing concern was over the suspension of the Gozo ferry service and its impact on Gozo. Some non-essential services in Malta had to be suspended because a consultant was stranded in Gozo, where he also worked.

Two patients were ferried to Malta from Gozo by helicopter soon after the storm broke because of conditions unrelated to the weather. Another two patients needing major, scheduled, surgery may have to be similarly flown to Malta on Wednesday if the ferry service remains suspended.