THIS is the moment a towering storm-surge wave smashes straight into the harbour at an Italian holiday island.
Dramatic footage showed white water sent exploding over quaysides as the sea surges inland.
The camera shakes as walls of foam slam into the marina in Lipari, Sicily, flooding streets within seconds while vessels buck violently against their moorings.
Videos, posted on X on Tuesday, show violent seas battering the island as Cyclone Harry tore through the central Mediterranean.
On-screen overlays claim ferocious winds, while waves crash relentlessly into the port, overwhelming defences and pouring into low-lying areas.
Authorities issued red alerts across Sicily and Sardinia as the storm unleashed gale-force winds, intense rain and dangerous storm surges.
Gusts topped 74mph, waves reached up to nine metres and coastal flooding spread rapidly.
Civil Protection ordered precautionary evacuations as conditions deteriorated.
In total, 190 people were evacuated from exposed areas across Sicily as mayors were urged to act fast amid the threat of sudden surges and flash flooding.
One of the most delicate operations unfolded at Giampilieri Marina near Messina, where 32 residents were evacuated from the beachfront Aurora Villa care facility and moved to safer locations, relatives’ homes and municipal buildings.
In Acireale, the mayor ordered the removal of 95 residents from the coastal hamlets of Chief Mills and Santa Maria La Scala.
Further evacuations were carried out in Pachino, Marzamemi and the Granelli district as authorities moved to protect people living closest to the sea.
Around 200 municipalities activated emergency operations centres to monitor the situation in real time, while about 150 towns closed schools to limit travel during the height of the storm.
More than 200 Civil Protection staff, 1,000 volunteers and 5,000 emergency and municipal workers were deployed across the island.
Transport was also hit hard. Powerful sirocco winds caused chaos at Palermo’s Falcone Borsellino Airport, forcing diversions and cancellations after aircraft were unable to land overnight.
By Tuesday morning, flights had resumed with delays, though several departures were still cancelled.
The Lipari harbour scenes were echoed elsewhere.
Separate footage from Fondachello, near Catania, shows a 45-second clip of seawater racing down a narrow coastal street, sweeping a white car away as debris and foam surge inland.
It comes as storms also lashed Malta, where shocking video showed hail piling up like snow and rivers of ice flooding streets.
Malta’s Civil Protection Department warned residents: “avoid working at heights, including rooftops, balconies, scaffolding, and exposed structures” and “Stay away from the shoreline, breakwaters, and coastal paths.”
Forecasters say the next few hours remain critical in southern Italy, with authorities keeping monitoring networks active and warning residents in exposed coastal areas to stay alert as Cyclone Harry continues to batter the region.
