Uprooted trees, uprooted terraces, light poles and trees fallen in the street. A whirlwind struck in the early afternoon of Tuesday 16 August on the coast of the marinas of Melendugno between Roca, Torre Sant’Andrea, Torre dell’Orso and San Foca. There were no injuries but a lot of fear, yes, between swimmers and residents. The damage caused by the violent disturbance was manifold. On the beaches, in those crowded minutes, there was a general stampede to take shelter from the gusts of wind that blew intensely for a few minutes.
“I was afraid – says a bather – and as soon as we saw the first lightning strikes in the sea we preferred to leave the beach to get safe. Not a few, instead fearless of the risks, wanted to immortalize the” spectacle “of lightning breaking. The gusts, however, left more than a few damage in the marina of Torre Sant’Andrea: broken glass, bins overturned in the street and a large pine tree literally uprooted itself, ending up on parked cars without hitting anyone.
In a few minutes the roads became impassable and the connections were interrupted until the violent disturbance ended. The tornado also caused damage to Frassanito’s bathing establishments. Here the wind blew sunbeds and umbrellas and even knocked down some turrets used as a lookout point for lifeguards. Bad weather has affected the entire Adriatic coast a little. Disruptions have also been reported in the San Foca marina, particularly in the “Marangi” area. Great work for the firefighters dealing with dozens and dozens of phone calls to the switchboard of the Provincial Command of Lecce. The sudden wave of bad weather did not affect the Salento capital, where thousands of tourists poured in and literally stormed the streets of the historic center taking advantage of the bad weather that hit various seaside resorts.
The whirlwind that hit the Melendugno marine also caused the collapse of a part of the perimeter wall of the Sant’Andrea lighthouse, and part of the fence surrounding the ancient tower of Torre dell’Orso, which was been on purpose pending the consolidation works of the structure. The road leading to Torre di Sant’Andrea, the area most affected by bad weather, is also interrupted due to the fall of trees.