The storms that normally herald the end of the summer season often leave damage in their wake.
Last year was no exception, with the government saying the cost of replacing lost seaside ladders had reached an impressive €25,000.
A spokeswoman for the Transport Ministry told this newspaper that the ministry had produced around 100 new seaside ladders after the existing ones were lost following last October’s storm.
The island was battered by rough seas and strong winds which uprooted trees, led to heavy flooding and saw some 177 tonnes of debris washed ashore along Malta’s east coast.
From Għadira to St Paul’s Bay, from Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq to Sliema and from Xgħajra to Marsascala, none of the coastal areas were spared the onslaught of the gregale, a northeasterly wind which hit the islands.
The Radisson Hotel in St Julian’s was flooded after strong waves smashed through its windows. Strong winds impacted the national electricity grid, bringing blackouts to many localities, and several cars were blown across entire lanes.
The Transport Ministry spokeswoman said that every year, it invested some €8,000 to manufacture new beach ladders for around the island.
The money mostly went towards replacing old ladders, carpets or pontoons, and to adding ladders in a bid to accommodate requests from the public.
Last year, however, “apart from the yearly commitment”, a further €25,000 was needed to make up for the loss of nearly 100 ladders.
“These were lost with the high waves that reached the island, in particular on the eastern coast during the month of October. A large bridge that served for a considerable number of years at St Julian’s beach was lost also,” the spokeswoman said.
Usually, she added, all the ladders were removed for maintenance in October, but last year, the weather changed so quickly that there was not enough time to remove them all. Cleansing Directorate employees took out a dinghy that had been bought earlier in 2016, and together with a diver, tried to recover as many of the ladders from the seabed as possible, but unfortunately they were all beyond repair.
The October storms are not the only ones that come with a hefty price tag attached.
Last November, this newspaper reported that violent hail storms that hit the country every year cost as much as €5 million in insurance claims.