A beach mattress tied to the doors with a rope, or an old blanket spread on the bonnet, stuck in the drafts of the front doors so the wind doesn’t take it away. These are the countermeasures adopted by the citizens of San Benedetto del Tronto to protect their cars and deal with the inconvenience caused by the recent hailstorm that hit the area.
When the box is missing, he makes do with what is there
The hunt for covered shelter, between shopping center car parks, sheds and the hospital square, ran out quickly as soon as the alert was triggered, so it was decided to invent something alternative. The guides on anti-hail sheets have confirmed this for years: blankets, yoga mats, plastic packaging remain among the most cited remedies when the alternative is to leave the bodywork uncovered, even if they cannot hold a candle to a 5-6 mm EVA technical sheet, but they do cushion something. And they cost zero. Here is a roundup of images directly from the GTA Sun Beach Facebook page:
@GTA Sun Beach / Facebook
@GTA Sun Beach / Facebook
@GTA Sun Beach / Facebook
@GTA Sun Beach / Facebook
@GTA Sun Beach / Facebook
@GTA Sun Beach / Facebook
An emergency with a specific date behind it
The fear arose on July 21st, when a hailstorm with grains weighing up to 127 grams had already devastated the windows and bodies of the city’s cars. It is that memory, more than the predictions, that pushes the people of San Benedetto to cover the car so as not to relive the same evening.
The municipality’s response
The administration moved on two parallel tracks. On the one hand, the longer procedure, with the request to the Marche Region for a state of emergency, together with the recognition of the damage suffered by citizens, with forms to be submitted by 31 July. On the other hand, a more immediate measure, and probably more felt by those who find their car dented outside their house: until Sunday 26 July the Local Police did not sanction damaged vehicles parked in the blue parking spaces. Mayor Nicola Mozzoni defined it as a way to give families time to organize themselves, without adding more worries to those who already have enough. A few days later, free city buses also arrived, for those who found themselves temporarily without a vehicle. In the background remains the bulletin that kept everyone on their toes, that is, a yellow warning for thunderstorms valid for the entire day on Sunday, with the possibility, written clearly in the document, that the situation could change over the hours. On the Riviera, that day, no one wanted to bet on it anymore, so it was better to opt for a poorly tied mattress than to end up with a shattered windshield.
