The next day the city is on its knees. The whirlwind and hail that hit Cremona caused enormous disruption, with thousands of fallen trees, roofs uncovered, an estimated ten thousand cars damaged, a toll of 43 injured, most of whom were discharged without serious consequences, and twelve families evacuated from a building declared uninhabitable. Even the symbols of the city are "wounded", with the Churches counting the damage, starting from the Cathedral and the Torrazzo, which however have always remained open and visitable.
The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, called the mayor Andrea Virgilio, to express closeness to the community: "A phone call that I welcomed with gratitude and great gratitude - said Virgilio -. And which makes us feel less alone". And Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also made it known that she is following the situation and the rescue and assistance operations for the population "carefully", in constant contact with the Minister for Civil Protection, Nello Musumeci, with the Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano and with the head of the Civil Protection Department, Fabio Ciciliano. The Lombardy Region, meanwhile, has asked the government to also extend to the provinces of Cremona, Mantua, Bergamo and Pavia the request for a state of emergency already formalized in recent days due to the damage caused by the wave of bad weather that has hit the territory since 20 August. There were also heavy rains in the Milan area and Brianza, with hailstorms in Brescia with hailstones "like tennis balls".
In Pavia 30 trees fell, one 35 meters high with a diameter at the base of over one meter and in the Oltrepò we are awaiting the assessment of the experts to estimate the extent of the damage caused to the vineyards. In the Mantua area, however, after the hail and wind, the Bosco Fontana nature reserve in Marmirolo was closed. The most affected area remains that of Cremona. The former Tourism Minister Daniela Santanchè, who was elected to the Senate in 2022 in the city college, says she is ready to support the territory so that it can "get back on its feet quickly", while the Democratic Party, after having positively welcomed the Region's request to extend the state of emergency, asks the government to "activate immediately" also with the "necessary resources".
The Cathedral, together with the town hall, from which the upper part of the civic tower collapsed, is the symbol of a historic center struck to the heart, still dotted with uprooted trees, tiles and stones. The Cathedral saw the top of one of the turrets of the northern counter-facade collapse, as well as the glass of the rose window on the main facade was damaged. At least a dozen Churches in Cremona have reported significant damage, with the parishes of the Diocese having to draw up a report by the middle of next week. The damage to the convent of the Capuchin Friars was extensive, but the most critical situation concerns the Church of Sant'Ambrogio, with the collapse of the cross from the triumphal arch of the facade, the roof being covered over and the altar area flooded.
According to an estimate by Federcarrozzieri, the costs for repairing damaged cars vary from a minimum of 900 euros for smaller interventions to 10 thousand euros for major damages. On Monday, most of the municipal buildings will remain closed, as will the parks, with the priority being to fix the roads: "Seeing the city in these conditions - said the mayor - is dismaying. We are giving our all and we will not stop, but time and patience will be needed".
