After 24 hours of incessant rain, the wave of bad weather seems to be easing its violence on north-west Tuscany and lower Spezzino, in Liguria. However, due to hydrogeological risk, the regional civil protection system remains on maximum alert. High alert also in parts of Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio. Also rated 'yellow alert' on the remaining sectors of Umbria and Lazio, on part of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Basilicata, Calabria and on the entire territory of Marche, Abruzzo, Molise and Campania.
The Civil Protection of the Campania Region has already extended the current weather warning until 12pm tomorrow, Saturday 14 November. Precipitation will continue across the entire regional territory, even in the form of intense thunderstorms on a local scale with consequent Yellow criticality level for hydrogeological risk.
In an update on the bad weather, the regional civil protection of Tuscany reports that there are 151 critical issues still open, out of the 267 reported since the beginning of the event, 124 people isolated in the provinces of Arezzo, Lucca and Massa-Carrara, another 72 preventively evacuated in the Pisa area and 27 effectively evacuated in the provinces of Pisa and Lucca. Among the most relevant situations, the Civil Protection reports in Sansepolcro (Arezzo), the interruption of municipal roads with the isolation of the Montagna hamlet, in Vecchiano (Pisa) the evacuation of the Serchio floodplain areas and in San Giuliano Terme (Pisa) the evacuation of the Serchio floodplain, with 26 people involved. And again, in Piazza al Serchio, in Garfagnana, the Acqua Bianca torrent flooded, in Massa (Massa Carrara), in the Caniparola area, monitoring was activated with the installation of a pump following the collapse of bank defense works. Also in Massa, bank erosion of the Osca torrent is recorded at km 88 of the Cisa motorway. Also, around 12:45 p.m. the firefighters intervened to rescue a person from their vehicle which was stuck due to the water, at the underpass in via Oliveti in Massa. The firefighters recommend paying attention to the access signs of the underpasses to avoid running into dangerous situations. The firefighters explain that in Tuscany, over 190 requests for help have been processed, in the provinces of Massa Carrara, Lucca, Pistoia and Arezzo. The interventions were mostly carried out to remove obstacles due to landslides and restore traffic. Drainage operations have also been completed due to water damage.
Three hours inside the passenger compartment of the broken-down car while freezing water seeped through the doors, until the intervention of the Penitentiary Police officers on duty in the nearby prison. Today Luigi Ricciardi, 86 years old, and his wife Ada Parentini, 77 years old, returned to the prison in La Spezia to thank those who saved them on Thursday afternoon during the flood that hit the Ligurian city. "Without them I don't know how it would have ended. We were exhausted, especially my wife who was terrified and kept repeating: 'the water will take us away!'". They had just left a nearby shopping center after doing some shopping and were trying to reach home in Val di Magra in their Ford Fiesta. "The landscape had completely changed compared to when we entered - recalls Ricciardi -. We were advancing in the high water when I heard a shot and the car started to skid. I tried to pull over, but every time a truck passed it lifted us up with the wave". A tire was torn and the rim was also deformed, while on Via Fontevivo the manholes are blocked and cannot handle the rain that invades the road and also penetrates into the prison. "When we saw the water level rising we went out to help people in difficulty - recalls assistant chief Matteo Cofrancesco -. We immediately noticed the gentlemen's car. It was difficult to open the doors due to the water pressure. We picked them up and brought them to dry ground". With him, under the downpour and with the water almost up to his knees, are the deputy commissioner Marco Pugliese, the inspector Michelino Ferrusi, the superintendents Marco Ascoli and Alessandra Giorgetti, the assistants Enrico Manzo, Giacomo Tonazzini and Mario Megna. Together with them is a mysterious resident, who left after the rescue and who the elderly couple are still looking for to thank him. "They made us sit next to a radiator because we were soaked. They gave us blankets, made coffee and hot chocolate - he remembers -. They were truly extraordinary. Since then we still haven't closed our eyes due to fear."
Around 70 interventions by firefighters in the last 24 hours to deal with the damage caused by bad weather in the province of Arezzo. The disturbance that is affecting the area has caused flooding, water infiltrations, falling trees and landslides, with the most critical situations recorded in the areas of Sansepolcro, Anghiari and in the La Chiassa-Tregozzano area, in the municipality of Arezzo. The rescue operations involved the teams of the Arezzo provincial command, the Bibbiena detachment and the Sansepolcro and Pratovecchio volunteer detachments.
The situation was particularly complex during the night, when some motorists were trapped in their cars invaded by water. Other people, however, needed assistance after being stuck inside homes in the localities of San Leo, in the municipality of Anghiari, and Montagna, in the territory of Sansepolcro.
The Fire Brigade's Drago helicopter also went into action in the morning. The aircraft intervened in Il Palazzo, in the municipality of Sansepolcro, allowing two people to be evacuated from their homes, who remained isolated and could not be reached via ordinary roads. Operations also remain underway to reach four other people stranded in La Montagna, including one with walking difficulties. In this case the rescuers are operating with off-road vehicles: the adverse weather conditions, in fact, do not currently allow the use of the helicopter. The repercussions on provincial roads are also severe. Several roads are blocked due to landslides and mudslides. The sections affected include the municipal access road to the Montagna area, the Marecchiese state road, in the municipality of Sansepolcro, and the provincial road 77, in the Anghiari area. The work of the firefighters continues without interruption, engaged both in the management of emergency situations and in interventions still to be completed. Civil Protection volunteers also operate in the area, together with operators from the Union of Municipalities and the municipal administrations involved, to guarantee support to the population and coordinate the activities necessary to deal with the emergency.
The wave of violent rainfall that hit the Tiber Valley caused heavy repercussions and damage to the local agricultural sector, affecting local companies. This was announced by Coldiretti Arezzo. The most critical situations are concentrated in the municipalities of Sansepolcro and Anghiari. In Sansepolcro, a note explains, in the Trebbio and Gragnano areas, heavy rains caused landslides and damage to various agricultural machinery. In the municipality of Anghiari, in the La Motina area, the bad weather flooded the production premises of the companies, knocked down the fences and caused the breakage of the water pipes. The situation in the Valdigatti area is also dramatic where vast fields already sown with wheat are completely submerged in water. "The aspect that matters most to us today is to be able to give certainty to agricultural businesses and their families, who are in difficulty - underlines Coldiretti Arezzo - this umpteenth emergency demonstrates the great fragility of our territory and once again calls for political responsibility, urgent investments are needed for the maintenance and regulation of water, together with an effective law against soil consumption, to protect those who, with their work, protect and cultivate the land every day in the face of the impact of climate change".
Around 70 requests for intervention were handled by firefighters during the night in the province of Arezzo, especially in Valtiberina, due to intense rain, flooding and landslides. Numerous critical issues are still ongoing, with the support of the Province and Civil Protection. The most difficult situation is recorded in Sansepolcro, where two roads have been closed to traffic. A landslide interrupted the road to the Montagna hamlet, which remained temporarily isolated. Via Tiberina Nord is also closed, near the junction for La Sgoluppa, due to landslides. There were also problems on the E45, with accumulations of water in the northern Madonnuccia tunnel. Fallen trees and branches, flooded roads and basements flooded with water were reported, with rescuers interventions using water pumps.
Intense and widespread rainfall in the last 24 hours in Friuli Venezia Giulia, where between 60 and 90 millimeters of rain fell, with peaks exceeding 100 millimeters in the Julian Prealps. In Grado, a peak tide of 139 centimeters was recorded during the night. The regional civil protection reports flooding in numerous municipalities, including Trieste, Udine, Pordenone, Monfalcone, Lignano Sabbiadoro and Latisana. Rock falls and traffic problems were recorded in Taipana, Tarcento and Savogna. The Versa, Vipacco and Cornappo streams have exceeded the warning levels, while Torre and Isonzo remain below the warning level. A cold front is expected today with further rainfall and Bora on the coast, with gusts of up to 100 km/h in Trieste. An improvement is expected from the afternoon, starting from Carnia and extending towards the coast.
First snowfalls in Trentino-Alto Adige, where during the night the snow whitened the mountains starting from around 2,000 meters above sea level. Temperatures are also decreasing, especially in mountain areas: at 3,000 metres, particularly in the border mountains, temperatures have reached -10 degrees. Winter equipment is required to travel the mountain roads and cross the Dolomite passes. The Stelvio, Rombo and Stalle passes are already closed for the winter season. Meanwhile, two weeks before the opening of the ski season, tourist and ski lift operators are hoping for more substantial snowfalls and a further drop in temperatures, which would also allow the production of artificial snow.
Today there is an orange alert in 5 regions and yellow in 12. After 24 hours of incessant rain, the wave of bad weather seems to be easing its violence on north-west Tuscany and lower Spezzino, in Liguria. Today the weather conditions for Tuscany indicate cloudy or very cloudy weather conditions with scattered precipitation, locally in the form of downpours or thunderstorms. Tendency to improve from late afternoon. However, due to hydrogeological risk, the regional civil protection system remains on maximum alert. The basins in the areas of Versilia, Lunigiana, Garfagnana, Serchio, Lima, Ombrone Pistoiese, Valle del Reno, Bisenzio and Arno remain under 'special' observation due to possible flooding, flooding of minor ditches and streams and localized landslides. "On the basis of ongoing and expected phenomena", an 'orange alert' has been assessed for the day today for parts of Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio. Also rated 'yellow alert' on the remaining sectors of Umbria and Lazio, on part of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Basilicata, Calabria and on the entire territory of Marche, Abruzzo, Molise and Campania.
