Emily Cunningham

Then the bus shelter started flooding from all the rain, with swirling dark water. We were pushed outward towards the hail. I had an umbrella and was trying to keep it open to stop the hailstones from hitting us, but the hail hit my legs. It left bruises. Finally a bus came.

I got on with two kids who were on their way home (guess 10-11-12 years old?). They were terrified out of their wits. I told them I would help them home. But it was not straightforward. We had to change from bus to tram, and we had to cross 3 streets. The kids were so scared ...

of the pounding hail and howling wind that they were running across the streets without paying enough attention to the cars. We made it to the tram stop, and they calmed down a bit when we were on the tram which thank goodness came fast. They promised me they lived VERY close ...

to a tram stop and that they didn't need me to accompany them to their building (weird stranger lady - I understood they didn't want to take me to their house as well). I trust they made it back ok. As I continued on the tram, I saw flooded streets. Big, new streets, actually.

The infrastructure of Geneva is GOOD. It's splendid. We have top notch engineers, are stickler for rules on everything. Everything is gold plated around here. But our drainage capacity can't deal with hell storms like June 15th. Which by the way swept across Switzerland.

But trees are damaged too: a huge tree came down in the park where my kid plays after school. Branches & leaves are torn down. Then the trees are more vulnerable to disease & fire. So there is no respite or resilience: just survival to the next extreme event.