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On Barbara Kornfeld
Marco is almost fifty-four years old, thirty-three of which were spent between New York and various cities in the State of Florida: leaving his city was almost an obligatory choice for the professional fulfillment that Salerno was unable to guarantee him. Motorcycle mechanic, he was initiated by his uncle - a brilliant entrepreneur in the catering sector - into the study of the food and wine sector: he discovered and became passionate about the vastness of the Italian wine heritage, to the point of making it a second profession, that of a local promoter in the USA. Ora, for those who don't know - unlike what happens on Italian territory - the US promoter is a figure of respect, first of all because Italian wines cost at least twelve dollars a bottle, then because in the very large shopping centers the audience becomes numerous and buys entire cases from a reliable and honest promoter like Marco. Gradually some members of the uncle's family become ill with cancer: in the United States it is equivalent to selling an empire, this happens until their death, occurred in the arms of his brother, who returned to Italy with serious physical problems, which then resulted in disability.
Marco continued his life path: among other life events, had already experienced the facts of the earthquake of 1980 in Campania, and September 11th in NY, therefore - in three decades in the United States - Marco experienced personal and professional success by marrying a writer (from the reporter of A.P.), obtaining the coveted green card to enter the US community, integrating into the different communities of the cities he inhabited (New York, Miami, Tampa, Saint Petersburg); a fact that did not prevent him from maintaining a strong bond with his land: the Campania Region in general, Salerno in particular. It does this by communicating with regional motorcycle mechanics and riders - in a continuous feedback of opinions and advice - by reading Italian newspapers daily, promoting Made in Italy Italian viticulture in Saint Petersburg, Tampa and surrounding areas.
Unfortunately, all this was first seriously endangered by the passage of Hurricane Helena - which broke the branches of the trees in the garden and broke the fence., repaired the following day - and then shocked by the subsequent hurricane Milton which instead caused considerable damage to Marco and Tamara's home: the fence of the perimeter fence is on the ground, the garden was flooded with materials moved by the wind, the centuries-old oak tree adjacent to the house has been uprooted and has "leaned" against the roof of the house - desoldering the condenser of the air conditioning generator located nearby - which means that the site will be hot and very humid (hardly habitable), the movement of the infamous oak has raised the roots of another centuries-old tree which at the moment is unclear whether it is unsafe or not, electricity and water are cut off, the sewer blocked, the subsoil is full of water.
His home, a single-storey house, in perfect Floridian style, usually requires a lot of maintenance: typical wooden house, requires continuous care, Just cutting the grass in the garden is a highly rotational routine, considering the continuous rhythm of rainfall in some periods of the year.
Marco's story is of a man who achieved a good economic-social position by rolling up his sleeves and working hard, without social outcry and without asking for anything: in times of difficulty he intensified his commitment, counting on mutual marital effort with Tamara.
Another face of the USA, different from the one taken to the extreme on TV - which oscillates between excessive splendor or complete decay - : yet until now Marco has pursued his goals in a continent where people are still dying of hunger, abandonment and lack of healthcare.
Even on this occasion, despite – on the night between 10th and 11th October 2024 – the story of Marco having stumbled upon one of the nineteen tornadoes generated by Hurricane Milton, he rolled up his sleeves and started cleaning the garden thoroughly, removing the debris and setting the fence aside in a corner. However, by examining the images of his house in depth, we realize that it could even be uninhabitable: and what's worse is the certainty that the roof of the garage - home to the workshop that contains the motorbikes - is irreparably damaged.
He made the provisional "count" of the damage himself during an initial inspection, quickly filming the scene to share with us friends and relatives in Italy: he downplayed it, in its usual manner so as not to alarm or disturb, while admitting that "this time it will take a long time to put everything back in place", but the tone of his voice betrays concern. Fortunately Marco and Tamara had chosen to stay in a large brick hotel during the passage of Hurricane Milton: also because in many years of tornadoes passing by, we had never seen an American meteorologist cry when announcing their passage.
Much more worried is the voice of Tamara who - despite being grateful that they are both unharmed - wrote an appeal via social media to her friends in other US states, asking you to help her identify the links to manage the bureaucratic procedures in this moment of difficulty and emotional upheaval: his disappointment is understandable, it's true that Tamara as a former Associated Press reporter, currently a writer, she's used to everything, but an atmospheric phenomenon such as Milton, rated the most dangerous of the last hundred years, he reaped, on a provisional basis, already nineteen victims and thousands of displaced people; their home is the fruit of the sacrifices of their entire existence; starting from scratch - anticipating the costs without knowing how much the contribution will then be eligible for insurance reimbursement - in a place without roots, just like the oak tree in the garden, It's not an easy prospect to face.
It would be nice if the Campania Region, and in particular the city of Salerno, supported their son in difficulty overseas, so that he can soon restart his activities as a motorcycle assembler, mechanic and above all promoter of Italian wines in the USA.
For any spontaneous donations from the reader, the Paypal address is: tamlush@hotmail.com
