Days after the fierce storms that swept across the islands on the weekend, businesses in St Julian’s are still sifting through the debris.

The San Ġiljan Aquatic Sports Club was one of several coastal facilities in the area to suffer extensive damage from the huge waves that lashed coastal facilities on Saturday, knocking down stonework, ripping doors off hinges, dislodging railings and flooding inside areas.

The club, which just upgraded its facilities over the summer, shared images of the devastation alongside a call for members to help with the rebuilding efforts by donating and taking part in a number of planned fundraising activities.

Similar damage was also witnessed at Sliema Pitch and Exiles further along the coast.

Simon Sciberras, owner of the nearby Dive Systems, also saw extensive damage on Saturday afternoon, when waves as high as five metres pounded the building.

He told the Times of Malta a single rogue wave smashed through the defences staff had put in place and flooded the ground floor, while other waves burst through second-storey doors, destroying electrical wiring and equipment, as well as other infrastructure.

“The last time we saw anything like this was 10 years ago,” he said.

“Although there was a warning, nobody was expecting it to be this big.”

Nearby, a wedding scheduled on Saturday night at the Radisson ballroom in St Julian’s  had to be shifted to the nearby Corinthia San Ġorġ after the hall was flooded with seawater.

The Malta Insurers Association told this newspaper that it was still too early to assess the scale of the damage, although initial reports indicated it may not be as widespread as some previous incidents.

Across the island, workers operated round the clock to clear the 177 tonnes of debris that washed ashore along Malta’s east coast.

As winds subsided on Sunday, rough seas continued to wash ashore the carcasses of smashed wooden boats, tonnes of seaweed and all sorts of debris.

In Xemxija alone, eight trucks full of debris, mostly wood and seaweed, were removed.

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