Hurricane “Daniel” was a turning point that completely upended the life of the young Libyan, Yusuf Habel. In a single night, the flood swept away his home, and with it, he lost his father and his small stone decoration workshop, finding himself face to face with the wreckage.
Describing those moments, Yusuf says: “Daniel changed everything; my life was going in one direction, and then it went in the completely opposite direction. The disaster was not small. I lost my home and my father, and for a moment I felt I had lost my passion for everything.”
He adds that while inspecting his destroyed workshop with its collapsing walls and ceilings, his eyes fell on a small piece of stone he had fixed as an “adhesion test” just days before the flood. He tried to break the piece, thinking it would fall off easily after all it had been through, but it remained clinging to the crumbling wall.
He continues: “I went down immediately and started searching under the mud, and I found a mold that had survived the flood. At that moment, I made my final decision: I will return to my work from today.”
A will that refuses to break
He affirms from within his workshop: “I cannot stand emptiness or living in a place dominated by boredom… Work is what gives me strength.”
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Yusuf Habel stands among his stones, carving hope from the heart of the rock, sending a message to all who have lost their dreams in Derna and elsewhere: “Life does not stop at the pain, it rises from it. You may continue walking with a broken heart, but it will keep beating with hope as long as you do what you love.”
Hurricane Daniel
Hurricane Daniel was a powerful Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone that struck northeastern Libya in September 2023, causing catastrophic flooding. The storm’s most devastating impact was the collapse of two dams near the city of Derna, which resulted in thousands of fatalities and widespread destruction. It is considered one of the deadliest tropical cyclones on record in the Mediterranean region.
Libyan
Libya is a North African country with a rich history that includes ancient Phoenician, Greek, and Roman settlements, most notably at the UNESCO site of Leptis Magna. In the modern era, it was an Italian colony before gaining independence in 1951 and was later ruled by Muammar Gaddafi from 1969 until the 2011 revolution. Its cultural heritage is deeply tied to Berber, Arab, and Mediterranean influences.
Yusuf Habel
Yusuf Habel is a historic church located in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia, believed to have been constructed during the 14th century. It is renowned for its architectural style and ancient religious manuscripts, serving as an important site of Ethiopian Orthodox Christian heritage.
Derna
Derna is a historic port city in eastern Libya, situated in a fertile valley along the Mediterranean coast. It has a long history dating back to ancient Greek and Roman periods, later becoming a significant center under Ottoman rule and for Mediterranean trade. The city is known for its distinct architecture, lush greenery from an underground aquifer, and the Wadi Derna, which has historically shaped its development and, more recently, been the site of catastrophic flooding.
