10 minutes of terror and massive destruction. Farmers are devastated

The storm lasted maybe 10 minutes. Hail the size of ping-pong balls fell from the sky and massacred hectares of crops. The damage is irreparable.

The sky over the Żmigród commune darkened late Wednesday afternoon. Suddenly, a strong wind picked up, and lightning appeared in the sky. A moment later, all hell broke loose. First, huge amounts of rain flooded the streets of Żmigród and the surrounding villages. Almost at the same moment, between Karnice and Węglewo, at the height of the roundabout at the exit from S5, the culmination occurred. Hailstones the size of ping-pong balls began to fall from the sky. Ice balls destroyed crops, massacred fruit and seedlings.

Help was immediately sent to the flooded streets. The fire department and local volunteer fire departments intervened in many places. Fallen trees were removed. Water was pumped out of flooded rooms. Residents posted photos and videos on the internet. Some roads looked like a rushing river.

On Thursday, our editorial office received the news. It turned out that not only the city had suffered, but above all, farmers had suffered huge losses. We went to the scene. The city's security services were working to remove broken branches from the streets. It turned out that the storm had broken and knocked down many trees in the park and palace complex. The park was closed to residents, and firefighters began cutting the trunks into smaller pieces. There was also damage in many other places. Driving through the city, we saw many broken trees and branches. Then we got a call from one of the residents. He said that yesterday's storm had completely destroyed hectares of the locally known "Kiszonki Sznajderów" plantation.

- It's true, we have huge losses. The hail completely destroyed about 18 hectares of cucumber crops. They are useless. This year, there probably won't be any pickles either - Emilia Sznajder told us and added: - Other crops were also destroyed. Cabbage, but also dozens of hectares of grain. All this year's work went to waste. We lost hundreds of thousands of zlotys, but please call Mr. Piotr Chorzępa. The storm destroyed everything there. 100% of his crops. It's terrifying - said Mrs. Emilia and showed us a field where we could see the effects of the downpour.

We also asked if the crops were insured and if there was a chance for some help? Mrs. Sznajder said that, paradoxically, probably none of the farmers are able to pay the insurance costs, even if they wanted to.

- Imagine that from a field from which I can have about 400 thousand zlotys of income, I would have to pay about 200 thousand zlotys of insurance. It is as if you bought a car for 150 thousand zlotys and had to pay an annual auto insurance of 75 thousand zlotys. It is obvious that no one will pay. Please come to our field, you will see what it looks like - summed up Emilia Sznajder.

We went. Driving, we saw a strange phenomenon from a distance. It seemed that there was either a lake or a huge foil spread over the entire area. When we arrived at the site, we saw hectares of standing water. All crops were additionally destroyed by hail. The seedlings were literally massacred. In the middle of the flooded plot stood a tractor. There were also hoses with which they tried to pump out the water. It was a tragedy.

Workers standing by the road said they had never seen anything like it. Everything was destroyed.

We contacted another farmer. It was Piotr Chorzępa , whom Mrs. Sznajder mentioned. We arranged to meet at his property.

- Do you want to see what my strawberry field looks like? Follow me - said Mr. Piotr, greeting us.

After a while, as we turned off the asphalt road into a field, we saw a terrifying sight.

- Look, this is what strawberry fruit looks like. Literally crushed. Seedlings, their stems are all broken. It's over, there's nothing to save. The entire plantation has been destroyed - Piotr Chorzępa shows and adds: - All our work this year went to waste. I spent about PLN 150,000 on fertilizers, seedlings and preparation for sale. Our crops and land are a workshop under the open sky. I can compare it to someone's entire factory burning down. I simply lost everything.

Piotr Chorzępa, as he himself says, does not have a large farm. In addition to strawberries, he also has a plantation of broad beans, onions and cabbage.

- Let's go next door, I'll show you what's left of the onion - he says. When we get there, he shows us what's left of it.

- The hail literally crushed it. It will start to rot in a moment. Look, everything is for throwing away - he says and adds:

- I've never seen anything like this, and I've worked in agriculture for 20 years. Yes, there were heavy rains and sometimes there was standing water on a part of the field, but I've never seen anything like this before. When I arrived after the hailstorm, imagine that where you leave the roundabout, right there - he points to the place - there was a huge mountain of hailstones that rolled down the road. There was more of it than that container.

Our interlocutor pointed to a several-meter-high tank standing at a nearby company.

- You couldn't see anything here. It seemed like we were in a huge bath. There was so much steam here that if we were standing next to each other now, I wouldn't be able to see anything. Everything was white. It was ice evaporating - he says and admits that he doesn't know what actually happened. We ask if, in his opinion, such anomalies are climate change?

- It's hard to say. I don't know what to believe and what not to believe. We read and hear so much. I don't want to succumb to conspiracy theories, but there might be something to it - I admit. After a while we go to see a field of cabbage and broad beans.

- A few days ago, my friend, when she saw our cabbage, told me that I could send it to companies that make catalogs, it was so plump. And now look what's left of it. The hail has shredded it - she says.

The entire broad bean crop was also destroyed. The stalks were broken and the entire field was flooded. Literally nothing survived.

Piotr Chorzępa says that he sells his crops mainly in Żmigród, where he has his own shop. He also has several customers in neighboring counties. He always tries to take care of quality. You can see that he puts his heart into his work, because when he talks about how production is done, he points out small details that are important for the final effect. We ask what he will do now, whether he can count on any help and what about seasonal workers.

- Honestly? I don't know. I think I'm on adrenaline right now, but I don't know what I'll do. I feel sorry for the employees. Recently, some Ukrainians came to work. They've been working for me for a long time and they're happy. Just yesterday, the ladies were picking strawberries, and today I told them that there's no more work. They asked if they could help in any way, but I know that they came here to earn money for their families. I told them that maybe they should try to find employment with other farmers. Maybe in neighboring counties - he says, adding that it's not easy work. To prove it, he tells an anecdote:

- A few days ago, a lady stopped here, she wanted to buy two baskets of strawberries, but we had just finished his work. I told her that she could pick them herself, for free, from what was left. After a while, she called me and said that she would rather pay even 50 PLN than pick strawberries. She said that she didn't realize how hard work it was - he says, thinking back to his plantation.

- Please, look how they looked? - he says and shows us photos on his phone. You can see the plump red fruit and beautiful, large green seedlings. The storm destroyed almost all of this year's profit. We ask what's next? So he's counting on some help?

- I think a year or two ago, when there was a heavy frost that also destroyed the seedlings, I got 560 PLN in compensation. I didn't know what to do with it, it was so much money - he says, but admits that in such unforeseen disasters, there should be some government help.

- I know farmers who once lost their entire life's work. There were also those who thought about suicide. In one moment they lost years of their lives and their jobs. These are difficult times, but I will not break down. Despite everything, I am glad that the disaster avoided my house, because the hail would probably have destroyed the roof or cars - ends the conversation Mr. Piotr.

The local government offered help to the affected farmers. Mayor Robert Lewandowski told us that a commission has already been established to estimate the damage.

- By Tuesday we will be estimating the losses, we will be developing loss reports, and then everyone will be able to submit an application for compensation - Mayor Lewandowski tells us, adding that if the regulations have not changed, at the start everyone who has suffered losses in more than 30% of crops will receive compensation per hectare. This could be around PLN 1,000 per hectare. The mayor also announced that he will also hold talks with the Voivode about some additional, perhaps government support. The Lower Silesian Chamber of Agriculture has also become interested in the matter.

Heavy downpours, local flooding, gales and sometimes hailstorms are an increasingly common sight in our area. We ask the mayor whether the local government is observing that the climate is changing. And if so, how can this be remedied?

- It's hard to say, but I actually used to have the impression that it was different. When I was a kid, it was cold and snowy in the winter. Now we either have droughts or weather anomalies - Robert Lewandowski told us, adding that probably everyone can already see that the climate is changing, that it is getting warmer. What can be done? First of all, take care of the environment, of greenery.

- The commune is trying to do this. The problem of garbage that used to be thrown into the forests has almost been solved. There are programs to replace old furnaces with renewable energy sources. We are also focusing on education - informs the mayor.

Emilia Sznajder sees the matter slightly differently and told us that she is not sure whether this is climate change or just a temporary anomaly.

- I remember the rainfall in 1997. It rained for several days then. Our cucumbers were also completely destroyed, and we as children were happy that we didn't have to go to work. I'm a physicist and I see that it's not that easy to calculate. Besides, we still have difficulty predicting the weather well - says Mrs. Emilia and adds that we have to get used to it somehow, but of course we all have to take care of the environment.

Prof. Bogdan Chojnicki from the University of Life Sciences in Poznań, who studies on a daily basis how the temperature changes in our region and what impact it may have on our lives, has a different take on the matter.

We tell him about what happened to farmers and ask if this phenomenon could be related to climate change? Will we experience similar events more often?

- Hail itself is not a climate change. It is a typical meteorological phenomenon, i.e. short and intense. It was, is and will be like this, there is no doubt about that. However, the problem is when we think about how often it should occur. And unfortunately, looking from the perspective of climate change, we have been observing a global increase in temperature for years and this is a fact. These are studies and hard data. And this already has specific physical consequences. An increase in temperature means an increase in energy, i.e. the warmer it is, the higher the thermal energy. This is simple physics and everyone knows it - explains Professor Chojnicki.

So what consequences does this have for our region? - we ask.

- It's simple. Since we have more energy, all atmospheric phenomena will be more dynamic, i.e. more violent. There will be either more of these phenomena or they will be more intense. Simply put, the energy has to find an outlet. I'll give you an example of a pot of water. When we heat a pot, the water moves slowly at first, but when the temperature rises, it starts to bubble strongly and sometimes spills out. So the hailstorm process itself does happen, but with the increase in temperature, there will be more of these phenomena, and above all, they can be very intense. For example, hailstones will be much larger. Updrafts also play a big role here, which lift these balls to a great height, and because they fall and rise again and so on several times, they grow to a large size and then fall to the ground with force. Let's remember that even a small increase in temperature is not only a feeling of heat, but above all there is much more water vapor in the air. So we are dealing not only with fuel, which can start the machine, but also with water, which can be converted into ice balls. So climate change causes better conditions for hailstorms, heavy rainfall, because the driving forces are simply greater. On the equator, where it is very warm, there are definitely stronger atmospheric phenomena than here. Unfortunately, in Poland we will have to deal with a similar phenomenon. Physics is the same everywhere - he explains.