 I received a call from my sister the other night. 'I thought you may want to know, the house opposite ours has caught fire.' Since that call, my entire neighbourhood has been engulfed. My hometown is a victim in the circle of fire that has taken over the Mediterranean, from Spain to the Greek Islands, leaving no place unscathed. I am from the Sicilian capital of Palermo in the south of Italy, which on Wednesday reached 47 degrees Celsius, the highest recorded temperature on the island since tracking began in 1791, causing deadly wildfires to break out. The wind caused the flames to spread through the mountains, around the coast, near the city. Houses were burnt, the airport was closed and Hospital Cervello was evacuated. As the body count rose, historic buildings were destroyed and natural reserves were put under threat of being wiped out of existence permanently. Disbelief doesn't quite cover it. Neither does anger, or shock. I haven't lived in Sicily for a few years now, after leaving to study in Scotland, then making my home in the North East. Yet, what my hometown has been going through hurts as if I was there. Knowing my family isn't safe, and knowing many of the beautiful places and nature I grew up with won't be there when I next return, has opened a gap in my heart. I believe we are at a momentous time in history (Picture: Rory Buccheri) More than that, the tragedy has put into perspective what is happening here, in my new UK home. Where I live, in Yorkshire, it hasn't stopped raining and hailing for three weeks now, and the forecast suggests it will continue this way. To think that just a month ago, the country recorded the hottest June on record, reaching upwards of 32°C. And who can forget when, last year, the Government issued a red weather warning as London reached 40°C. From summer hailstorms to scorching heat waves, there is no denying we are dealing with abnormal){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
I received a call from my sister the other night. ‘I thought you may want to know, the house opposite ours has caught fire.’
Since that call, my entire neighbourhood has been engulfed.
My hometown is a victim in the circle of fire that has taken over the Mediterranean, from Spain to the Greek Islands, leaving no place unscathed.
I am from the Sicilian capital of Palermo in the south of Italy, which on Wednesday reached 47 degrees Celsius, the highest recorded temperature on the island since tracking began in 1791, causing deadly wildfires to break out.