Monday’s rainfall heaviest in 70 years
Nothing seemed to dampen this man’s determination to reach his destination on Monday. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi
Monday was the wettest day in seven decades as the amount of rain exceeded that which fell during the fatal floods 31 years ago.
In a spooky coincidence, on October 25, 1979, another freak storm hit the island but, unlike Monday’s storm when no one was hurt, four people had died after they were swept away by the torrents.
Just over 102 millimetres of rain fell in Luqa in the 24 hours between Sunday and Monday, making it the second heaviest rainfall since October 26, 1939, when 132 millimetres were registered, according to the Meteorological Office.
About 100 millimetres of rain had poured down during the same span of time in 1979.
So far, a total of 221.6 millimetres of rain was registered in Luqa this month, making it the fifth wettest October since 1947. The highest amount of rainfall was registered in 1951 with a total of 476.5 millimetres, the Met. Office said.
Monday’s torrential rains caused havoc across the island bringing the morning traffic to a standstill and opening up large potholes in various roads. Walls, especially rubble ones, tumbled down and some cars were damaged as they were swept away by the waters.
An undertaker lost 800 coffins to the water that burst through his Qormi warehouse and scattered the wooden caskets along the village’s waterway.
As the island recovered from the aftermath of the storm, people were seen yesterday hanging clothes and carpets out to dry and cleaning away the messy residue of the storm.
Civil Protection Department director Patrick Murgo said his men spent most of Monday carrying out rescue and flood relief operations. Most rescues, that involved helping people out of their water-swept cars, took place between 6 and 8 a.m. with the worst affected areas being Birkirkara, Msida, Gżira, Burmarrad and Qormi.
One rescue that struck him was the case of a van that sunk into the ground when the road caved in under the water’s pressure in Birkirkara. CPD personnel helped out the two men in the van through the back door.
“I could not believe my eyes when I saw a woman in a small car trying to drive through gushing water with a child in the vehicle,” he said. Although she managed to make it through, her behaviour could have ended in disaster.
Unfortunately, Mr Murgo said, people did not realise how dangerous the situation could be. It was a fact that 60 centimetres of water were enough to drag a car, let alone a person.
The deadly power of the water was a lesson learnt 31 years ago when four people died in the 1979 flood.
Vivienne Huntingford, 55, died in her Attard home when her basement flooded.
Anthony Galea, 64, lost his life when the rain dragged his car while he was driving home with his wife and niece. The three left the car but, although the two women were saved, Mr Galea’s lifeless body was found later in a field in Qormi.
The third victim was 51-year-old English tourist, John Herbert Moore, who died after the car he was in was swept away by floods. Another English tourist, Lorraine Wales, died in similar circumstances and her body was found near Salina Bay two days after the storm.
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R. Azzopardi
Oct 29th 2010, 12:54
We keep mentioning October 1979. I wouldn't know how much rain fell on any of the days but I do remember other days during the years that were equally horrific. To mention a few: 4th April 1994, 24th September 1998, 15th September 2003. How come the met office never mentions these days?
Bernice Vella
Oct 29th 2010, 09:07
i was told by my mother not to go to school that day and apparently many people missed school or work that day my dad didn't go to work himself! i asked a friend if they were given any homework and she said she didn't go either and that they didn't even do anything i guess there were too few children to even bother doing anything!
Carmel Cilia
Oct 28th 2010, 19:26
After 27 years of P.N. government the only way to obtain drinking water in malta is the easiest and costliest way i.e through reverse osmosis. There was no planning whatsoever to obtain rain water for drinking not even through the implimentation of one of the oldest rigid laws we had in malta since time immemorial i.e through having water cisterns in every house.
The directors of MEPA should be sacked even for this one main failure.
Reverse Osmosis means electricity- burning of fossil fuels- besides environmental damage it also means higher utility water tariffs- means lower standard of living -non caring government.
Pule' Carmel
Oct 28th 2010, 10:35
WHAT CAN BE DONE UNDER THE THREE MARSA/ MILLENIA BRIDGES TO increase floodwaterFlowEfficiency.
1,Get rid of the useless peninsula to the right and after Albert Town Bridge whose tip is narrowing the old channel joining the new channel.
2, Join the 12 individual supporting column under the Albert Town Bridge with concrete or galvanised sheets as was done to the 48 supporting columns under Aldo Moro Road.PutBetterBullnoses
3,The triangular CLOSED section on the right under the Albert Town Bridge needs to be modified to feed better flow into the mainchannel.
4,The hollow behind the channel exist under Aldo MoroRoad, needs curving/deflection of the 90 degree corner and each of the four exit galleries need individualdeflectors to align water, for as it is the gushing water from extreem left gallery is projecting directly along the path of the other three galleries slowing their water.
5,Put rounded not sharp bullnoses and get rid of the drainage obstruction in front of the entry to Under Aldo Moro Bridge. Here also, Put deflectors so that they will feed the S bend which now is depleted of water, causing backflow in the right gallery!!!!!!.
If I am approached I will freely and gladly assist!
Pule' Carmel
Oct 28th 2010, 17:58
Sorry, not along the paths of the other three galleries but ACROSS THE PATHS.. of the other three galleries.
Pule' Carmel
Oct 28th 2010, 10:06
This week I investigated the Bridges at Marsa /Millenia locality by measuring the head of water at the entry and exit of the floodwater channel under Aldo Moro Road to Menqa.The total difference in the head of water was about 5 feet. This gives an indication of the blockage and resistance at this bottleneck. Before and after the channel under Aldo Moro Road, the change in head was 2 feet, along the 90 degree bend at Millenia was 0.5feet and before and after Albert Town Bridge the change in head was about 2.5 feet. If the rain had continued for six more hours, at the same rate with the accompanying increased in debris/blockage, this difference in head would have reached more than ten feet where the channel would have overflowed into Marsa sport ground and Aldo Moro, to be dammed by the elevated road in front of Cassar shipyard and the wall on the side of the channel from Albert Town Bridge to Menqa. All this backpressure slows down the floodwater filling the channel all the way to the historic skewed arch at Qormi.The council should remove the boundary around theDrugShop square slowing water into the main channel.
j falzon
Oct 27th 2010, 22:08
@Joseph Micallef....Don't be rude! R Abela has made his / her point understood, in better English than a number of students i know in upper JL classes!
Joseph W. Galea
Oct 28th 2010, 01:38
Granted that as someone here said, "this is not an English exam." Thank heaven for that because most would have failed miserably.
But getting to Mr. j.falzon's statement, my reply would be that said statement does not speak well of the upper JL classes.
But then again, we have all been wrong at some point in time, haven't we j.f?
Steve Zammit
Oct 27th 2010, 18:52
31 years on and nothing changed!No proper planning. How much of this water was actually saved? I collected 15 litres of water in 10 minutes with a bucket last week. I collected this water from a dripping pipe near my home. It isn't much but this water will last me more than a month, helping me water the few plants I have.
After all the rainfall we had in the past days, how ironic this is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cfqLrzb5Ug
Water is a valuable resource, lets take care of it please
Arie Kers
Oct 27th 2010, 15:48
Where I come from (Holland) they would have build reservoirs to use the water.
Easy to do and much cheaper then make seawater consumable
And when the mess has to be cleared it's even that simple:
There are 1000's of immigrants willing to help on the island (and if they are not willing then force them). So give them tasks and let them be usefull.
Instead of hanging around it will give them and the Maltese a better feeling
And for the storm and the rain..... It was fantastic to drive around and I wouldn't have missed it.
The power of nature is one of the best things to respect.
Pule' Carmel
Oct 28th 2010, 10:59
You are absolutely correct, ten immigrants residing at Marsa would have cleaned all the jam packed accumulated debris blocking the floodwater channel under the three Marsa/Millenia Bridges in less than one hour. As it happened the night after it rained, Malta slept with this floodwater channel Bottleneck under the Marsa/Millenia bridges totally blocked and if it had rained we would have had a repeat of Sept 17, 2003. As for the amount of water I went there at 09.00 and left at 1400 hours and water before the blockage, was being lost at about 3 metres per second in a cross sectional area of 10 metres wide by 1.5 metres high at least , that is approximately 50cubic metres per second lost to sea for about 10 hours and I make that at 2,000,000 over two million cubic metres of lost water atMarsaMenqa alone!!!! So on one night I estimate thatMalta in one night lost over 20 million cubic metres of rain water to sea which is now to be replaced eventually by the expensive water from our osmosis plants.
20,000,000cubic metres that is a lot ofDiesel burning at our powerstation to make up for the lost water to sea!!!
Pule' Carmel
Oct 28th 2010, 16:15
Please Arie Kres, I advise you not risk and to have fantastic unmissable drive around, in our Maltese storms, as we shall miss you! and may I use your own quotation,"The power of nature is one of the best things to respect."
In Malta If your car in a storm cuts across a road intersection supporting a fast running stream of 30 centimetres deep, the car will slide sideways, gain momentum and if the wheels hit the kerb with the gained momentum it will overturn and the passengers will be spinning like clothes in a front loaded washing machine or a spin drier. I saw this at Msida near l-Ghajn tal hassellin,so stay at home in our storms.
Malcolm Felix
Oct 27th 2010, 14:45
It is true that on Thursday 25th October 1979 only 102 mm of rain fell over Luqa, but one has to tell also that on that day, the storm was concentrated mostly on the North of the Island, where between, 250 to 260 mm of rain fell (not over Luqa but Attard/ Mosta / Rabat) in just two (2) hours, so it is much worse compared to the past Monday. Also deaths occured since all that water was running to the lower ground, ie Qormi, Marsa etc...!
A. Ellul
Oct 27th 2010, 13:38
Flood of 25th October 1979: My father used to keep the meteorological records for Zurrieq during those times, as part of the Meterological Office's national data collection system . The rain gauge could measure a maximum of 7 inches of rain, but that afternoon, during a few hours (if I remember correctly it rained between 3pm and 5 pm or thereabouts, (while the colour of the low-lying clouds was dark-green/black. That rain gauge which could read a mximum of 7 inches, overflowed. Hence there wa sno way to know how much it really rained except that it rained more than 7 inches in Zurrieq. The Marsa road between the race course and il-maghluq was flooded and no car could cross safely until very late, approx 10 pm.
One car that was lost at Rabat was found buried under soil, some years later by a farmer who was ploughing his field situated at Mqabba side of Siggiewi.
Malta had never experienced such a flood before and hope we never will again
R.Abela
Oct 27th 2010, 13:01
The rain that fall on 25 october 1979 was much more than 100mm. As for my memory the met office only had instruments that collect rain water those days were made up to collect only up to 100mm. Correct me if I`am wrong. And another thing that sustain what I`am saying is that the damage caused in the northern part of Malta was huge compared to last Monday. While in the south part of Malta it was registered around less than 75mm and the damage was less. For some Farmers and other peoples from northen part of Malta and Gozo who takes readings in simple why by measurments in buckets they caculated around 200mm of rain in less than 4 hours. Can somebody from the Met Office say if I`am right?
Joseph Micallef
Oct 27th 2010, 13:26
Dear Sir/Madam,
Can't your kind self, before writing anything in English, first see that you are capable of doing so....properly?
M Vella
Oct 27th 2010, 13:41
the highest rainfall that night was119.6mm at Qormi - nowhere close to 200mm!
A.ATard
Oct 27th 2010, 15:57
Joseph Michallef we are not at school, during an English lesson .Understand the point and move on
R.Abela
Oct 27th 2010, 16:00
@M.Vella. I`am writing about what happened 31yrs ago, not last Monday. Sorry if somebody understand something else. I`m trying to draw the attention of Claudia Calleja article (Monday`s rainfall heaviest in 70 years) not to believe everything in your life. This is only for October. Remember instruments to collect rain water those days reads up to 100mm only. If it rains more than 100mm, there is no correct data. August 1964, November 1981, September 1997 and September 2003 as my memory were storms greater than last Monday, with rainfall over 100mm in less time than last Monday. @ Joseph Micallef. I`m proud to be Maltese farmer and ignorant. And thanks for your complement, to encourage more people do their effort to learn write and read english language.
Ronnie Gauci
Oct 28th 2010, 00:35
Sur Micallef m'ghandekx ghalfejn tkun pastaz. Hawnekk bniedem jikteb b'mod rilassat, hekk jonqos habba nies bhalek nibdew niktbu qiesna sejrin ghal xi ezami.
Johnny Xerri
Oct 28th 2010, 05:20
@ Joseph Micallef,
People who make an effort are to be praised not insulted.
People who redicule them are to be insulted you are nothing less than a SNOB
Karl Glanville
Oct 28th 2010, 09:21
@R. Abela: I was still very young to remember the floods that occured in 1979, but one can still hear echoes of it through the words of persons that have experienced it. I must say, that although last Mondays flooding were quite impressive, it is something that we experience each year. Each year we have some kind of a major flooding. I remember the September 2003 floods, were much more intense than last ondays, with the island paralized for three days!
@J. Micallef: You should be ashamed of yourself in trying to fool with people's small imperfections in writing with a foreign language. If i had to choose i'd rather be deficient in a foreign language and fluent in my nation's language, than be fluent in a foreign language and deficient in mine except for some swear words!
Anthony Cardona
Oct 28th 2010, 09:29
@ J Micallef: Those who are arrogant enough to poke fun at others are insecure creatures and try to boost their confidence by pointing out differences in others. Mr Abela, despite being a farmer, taught me something today. Mr Micallef, empowered with the gift of language, need to meet up with this farmer and apologise.
ms ghoare
Oct 27th 2010, 12:59
Monday was scary and this time round i was indoors , i remember the 25 October 1979 unfortanitly i was in it and i wouldnt wish it on anybody it took us 4hours from Kordin to Hamrun and i consider myself lucky in many ways ,Monday morning looking out of the window my children were getting ready for school i said to my husband , the are not going anywhere the rain if far to heavy then usual ,i could see the smile on my eldest he knew what i was gonna say , and i sent them both back to bed ,i think on Monday i took the right decesion for making my sons be absent from school ,
Alfred Muscat
Oct 27th 2010, 12:52
I still have my textbook which we used for our Geoptaphy lessons back in 1960 - Malta Our Island Home by B. Leo Barrington. On page 30 there is written " In one single afternoon, 10 inches of rain fell in Cospicua". Can someone confirm this please? It looks a bit far-fetched!!
A. Said
Oct 27th 2010, 12:36
So much water came down on Monday, but how much of it was saved instead of finding its way to the sea? It seems we never learn from past mistakes.
Fred Beach
Oct 27th 2010, 11:39
I first visited Malta in early November 1979 aged 22,the sea was discoloured brown from the previous weeks floods and the sewers had flowed into the streets of Sliema.Whilst Malta has changed beyond recognition today it appears the drainage system has not. Installing drains,grates and camvered road surfaces is not cheap, but neither is cleaning up the damage on a regular basis. Hope the weather has improved for my latest visit 7/11//10
J. Debono
Oct 27th 2010, 11:04
Calculating the total surface area of Malta by the mm of rainfall, this October more than 100,000,000Units(1 Unit = 1000Litres), of water fell on Malta.
Calculation is 470,000,000m2(area of Malta) x 0.22m of rainfall.
If only 20% was collected this would result in 20,000,000 Units of water.
If every household uses an average of 200Units of water/year (my family of 4 uses app. 140Units/year), this would be enough for 100,000 households!! or even more - i.e. almost all households.
So why instead of investing in thirsty reverse osmosis plants, wouldn't the government invest in a serious rainwater collection management?
Joe Spiteri
Oct 27th 2010, 11:33
J. Debono because that was a Labour project especially when the Chadwick Lakes were being restored and PN won't have anything to do with something that was started by Labour.
J. Debono
Oct 27th 2010, 19:09
Ghal l-iema raguni ghad hawn nies bhalek li jdawru kollox politika.
Kont qed naghmel hsieb generali, mhux kontra xi partit jew gvern partikolari!!!!!!!!!
Joe Spiteri
Oct 27th 2010, 22:41
J. Debono ghaliex hekk gara habib taghna.
V Buhagiar
Oct 27th 2010, 10:56
While praising the Civil Protection Personnel for their sterling service I think it is time that the authorities be more proactive and in such situation they make clear announcements instead of ambigious ones. For example schools should be closed, out patient appointments cancelled etc, this would reduce drastically the number of people travelling in such cases. The authorities should make it clear that it is a crisis situation thus relieving pressure on lots of services. Why are they so afraid to decide so?
Also communication was very lacking and Radio and TV station were NOT repeating frequently enough the Civil Protection's notice.
Jon Vercellono
Oct 27th 2010, 13:42
And a agreement needs to be struck in extraordinary circumstances that employees would not be charged a day of leave (or hours of leave) especially when the government indicated that individuals should not travel. Many people probably knew better (that they would be charged leave) or met with a shrug of the shoulders by their employers - hence they travelled to work. They should not be charged leave when told to stay at home.
Peter Korsten
Oct 27th 2010, 10:45
"Unfortunately, Mr Murgo said, people did not realise how dangerous the situation could be. It was a fact that 60 centimetres of water were enough to drag a car, let alone a person."
We witnessed that last year. Valley Road had turned into a raging torrent, and somebody in what I call a wannabe-4x4 drove into the middle of the road (from what I hear, he wanted to save someone trapped in a car, or something of the sort). Well, the middle of the road is where the car stopped. Water was gushing over the bonnet (and this was a big, high car), the indicators and windscreen wipers switching on because of short circuits, and he was stuck there until the CPD rescued him.
J.Camilleri
Oct 27th 2010, 10:42
If my memory still serves me well, the amount of rainfall in that 25th Oct. 1979 was something about 130 mm [5 inches]. This amount fell in a short time of two hours between 1pm and 3pm when our streets were in the rush hours, hence the fatalities.
Alfred Bugeja
Oct 27th 2010, 11:23
I didn't know that 1pm - 3 pm were considered rush hours in 1979.
It must have been all the government employees rushing home for their early afternoon siesta then...
Evelyn Cassar
Oct 27th 2010, 12:10
Alfred Bugeja School children at the time used to go home for lunch break and go back to school till 4 p.m. if I remember the time correctly. That's why Bugeja.
Phil Humphries
Oct 27th 2010, 12:33
Yes, you are right, it was early in the afternoon and it came down very suddenly indeed. My wife and I were stranded overnight in B'Kara after our Mini began floating. We had to abandon the car and wade to safety through thigh-high water holding onto each other so as not to get washed away in the torrent of muddy water. We did not know that the manhole covers had been washed away but , thankfully, people shouted from their upper windows to warn us. That news certainly focussed our attention, I can tell you !
Fortunately, we were young and robust in 1979, but it was still a scarry experience that we would not want to re-live. I dread to think what might happen if a similar storm was to hit the island during rush-hour, especially now there are so many more cars on the roads, a large proportion of which are driven by elderly people.
G McDowell
Oct 27th 2010, 10:27
M Debattista most countries that flood are caused by rivers breaking their banks, how many rivers in Malta?
M Debattista
Oct 27th 2010, 11:12
Ok G McDowell, I'll give you that. However, can you provide an answer as to how our roads will not get flooded if that amount of rain has fallen. I believe that that huge amount of rain cannot be controlled.
One of the problems people talked about was that cars, and other rubbish (such as televisions) blocked the system. What can you do about that?
Christian Sciberras
Oct 29th 2010, 10:03
Block the system?
WHAT SYSTEM???
J. Mifsud
Oct 27th 2010, 10:22
Culverts all over the Island should be cleaned and cleared regurarly especially before Autumn and during the Winter months.
Local Councils should be given financial funds, workforce and made liable for any damages and inconvenience caused to residents and commuters. The government has enough employees on its hands.
So, action please. The Maltese and our guests deserves better.
When are we going to take ourselves seriously?
Bertie O'Cassey
Oct 27th 2010, 11:08
What about getting convicts to do these jobs regularly? there is nothing wrong with it and they are giving something back to the community.
Maria Zammit
Oct 27th 2010, 10:14
No we learnt nothing at all because people still think they can beat the elements! Why do we still see people trying to drive through flooded roads? Perhaps they enjoy the attention given to the media when being rescued, little considering the hardship others have to go through to save them!!!
VV Bartolo
Oct 27th 2010, 10:03
"The deadly power of the water was a lesson learnt 31 years ago when four people died in the 1979 flood" ... am sorry but in my opinion we should only thank our lucky stars that the heavy rain fell during the night, sunday to monday, and so the majority of the population was indoors, as if it fell during the day like last time, the same would have happened, if not worst!!!
Alexander Farrugia
Oct 27th 2010, 10:02
25th October, 1979 was also a Monday, if I remember well.
Joe Bonnici
Oct 27th 2010, 11:40
It was a Thursday
RMangion
Oct 27th 2010, 10:02
Well what did we learn in 30 years ?
NOTHING, wrong road planning, no flood relief measures, new roads withouty culverts, existing culverts are blocked.
Christian Sciberras
Oct 27th 2010, 09:55
"The deadly power of the water was a lesson learnt 31 years ago when four people died in the 1979 flood."
Most certainly not! Unless by "learning the lesson" we mean "doing nothing at all"...
M Debattista
Oct 27th 2010, 10:10
No one died!! So yes a lesson was learned.
Please enlighten us on what can one do to avoid floods. It will solve the problem of the whole world!!!
Eric Camilleri
Oct 27th 2010, 10:34
There is really nothing much one can do for some areas in Malta since they are doomed to remain in that risk due to the nature of their location ever since the old times. The recklessness comes about the newer locations with new buildings constructed smack in the centre of waterways, risking their own flooding or causing a change in the flood route towards innocent locations that would have never dreamt of ever being affected by floods.
As for the 1979 floods I was the same age as my own son now and living in Qormi then I recall being so scared with the noise and the power of the water that I witnessed causing such devastation. A scene I never forgot was seeing my father's car lifting off the ground and floating down the stream along with loads of other cars. I was scary, but scarier when we heard that people had died.
mario camilleri
Oct 27th 2010, 11:00
@m debattista Naqra sens komun kull ma trid ha nibdew 1) isiru riservwar mal gheliqi ta magemb it toroq li jaddu mil kampanja rabat ghal attard ect. u il gvern ikun jista jixtri dan lilma min ghand il bdiwa li ikunu investew ghal dawn linvestiment kif ukoll il bidwi jew sid laghlqa li jaghmel dan linvestiment ibih il bdiwa ohra li ma ikollomx ghalqa ma triq 2) ikabru liquh tal widien biex dawn izzommu iktar ilma ghal iktar tul ta zmien 3) jithafru riservar tah it torroq u lima li jingabar ikun jista jigi ipurifikat blinqas spejjez min dawk tr reversos.. 3) ma jithalewx jimbnew binjiet godda minghajr ma jaghmlu bjar taht id djar jew flats min tal inqass bjar li jasaw 30,000 litru 4) jigu icekjati id djar kolla ta malta ghax il bjut ghandhom jitfu lilma barra fit triq jew gal bir lewwel mhux gad dranic, dawn huma biss ftit sens komun sur depattista ghalek min jejd li tort tal gvern ma ikunx qed jejd hazin il gvern qied hemm biex jara li ikun hawn gustizja u serjita mhux taxxi biss.
apgrech
Oct 27th 2010, 11:16
@ M Debattista: They can do three things:
1. Proper planning
2. Proper planning
3. Proper planning
John Vassallo
Oct 27th 2010, 12:05
M Debattista Camilleri wiegbek tajjeb. Ħaz-Zabbar hemm hafna gibjuni u l-Kunsill Lokali darba kien beda jaghmel spezzjonijiet taghhom. Nixtieq nistaqsi lill-Kunsill fejn waslu l-ispezzjonijiet u jekk l-ilma tal-gibjuni jintuzax u kif.
Christian Sciberras
Oct 29th 2010, 09:59
I won't reply to "what needs to be done" but rather "how others does it".
I've just been to Scotland where it is famed to be raining ~90% of the time.
Roads are expertly built, most of the time built over ground level, with several huge pipes passing through to allow for cross-sectional draining, and in some cases bridges are built.
I think having roads above the surrounding area would be the first way to go. Doesn't seem like rocket science to me!