Bad weather, migrants overwhelmed by river flooding in Ventimiglia: 19 rescued

Bad weather, migrants overwhelmed by river flooding in Ventimiglia: 19 rescued

Some people who lived camped on the river bed, under a railway overpass, were overwhelmed by the sudden rise in water. Red alert in Tuscany: flooded rivers, landslides and flooding. The main inconveniences were recorded in the north-west area of ​​the Region. And the wave of bad weather is not over yet: for tomorrow the Civil Protection has issued an orange alert for parts of Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio

Bad weather has arrived in Italy, causing damage and flooding. Particularly high attention is paid in Tuscany, where the alert is red for today and involves four provinces, in particular those of Massa Carrara and Lucca, plus some municipalities of Pistoia and Prato. Problems also in the province of La Spezia, hit by heavy rainfall.

A group of migrants who lived camped on the bed of the Roja river, under a railway overpass in Ventimiglia, were overwhelmed in the late afternoon by the sudden rise of the water. Firefighters rescued 19 people in total.

And the wave of bad weather will not end today: for tomorrow, in fact, an orange alert has been issued for parts of Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio; yellow 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.

Ventimiglia, intervention on Roia concluded, 19 people saved

The rescue of the firefighters in Ventimiglia, in the province of Imperia, along the Roia river has recently ended. After rescuing the first 14 people who were stuck under two spans of a railway bridge due to the rapidly rising water level, rescuers extended their checks to the last two spans of the structure, identifying and safely evacuating another 5 people. The intervention thus ended with a total of 19 people rescued.

Arno, situation under control. But he is still alert

The president of the Tuscany Region Eugenio Giani communicates that the situation is under control along the entire Arno river, where the river levels are currently within the reference thresholds. However, attention remains high in view of the next few hours. The intense rainfall that affected the area and the flood waves coming from the tributary rivers could in fact cause a rise in the levels of the Arno during tomorrow.

Prato, landslide on Sr 325 for Bologna

In the province of Prato, a landslide was reported on the Sr 325 for Bologna, in the Montepiano area, between the hamlet of La Storaia and the crossroads for Bocca di Rio. A flow of debris partially invades the road: the alternating one-way system has been established and the authorities are asking drivers to proceed with great caution. A tree fell in Poggio a Caiano.

Torrent overflows near Pistoia, flooding the suburbs

In the Pistoia area, the Brana torrent overflowed in a stretch, flooding the hamlet of Badia a Pacciana and compromising the surrounding roads. Flooding has caused the closure of via del Bastione Mediceo and via dei Campisanti and the Municipality reports the presence of uprooted manholes in several streets with consequent traffic risks. The Municipality of Pistoia invites you to limit travel. Via Vecchia Pratese is closed in the Nespolo, Chiodo and Chiazzano areas. Minor roads near ditches and streams are affected by overflows and landslides after hours of heavy rain on the mountain.

Serchio in full flood still on state road 12 in the Lucca area

The Serchio river in flood reached a record flow rate of almost 1,300 cubic meters per second in the Borgo a Mozzano area (Lucca) due to the second wave of rain in less than 24 hours. The river flooded again on Brenner State Road 12 before the Maddalena bridge (Devil's bridge), towards the town of Chifenti, "but little - says the mayor Patrizio Andreuccetti in a video - while the situation is under control at the Ponte Pari dam". Five landslides have been reported, a small one on state road 12 and others on secondary roads where the Municipality is intervening with its workers and technicians. Still in the province of Lucca, but in Versilia, 13 inhabitants remained isolated in the Pietrasanta area due to the collapse of part of the road to reach Capriglia.

Ventimiglia, 16 migrants rescued

Sixteen migrants were rescued after the rising waters of the Roja river in Ventimiglia overwhelmed their camp under the railway overpass (the line was interrupted). The firefighters recovered three migrants in a ravine under the bridge after a complex operation (they lowered themselves from above). Others had taken refuge in tunnels under the railway. They're all fine. The railway police and the carabinieri also participated in the operations, which ended at 8.45 pm.

Families evacuated to La Spezia

A landslide engulfed a car park in the Valdellora district of La Spezia in the late afternoon. A retaining wall along Via Alessandro Volta collapsed, falling on parked cars along with tons of earth. Some cars would have been crushed under the weight of the collapsed embankment. In the meantime, the authorities have evacuated two buildings: nine families involved.

Strong wind in Brindisi: fallen trees, road signs and unsafe cornices

Teams of the Fire Brigade of Brindisi have been engaged for several hours in numerous urgent technical rescue interventions to remove obstacles and secure structures that are unsafe due to bad weather and strong winds. On the state road 7 Brindisi Taranto, in the direction of Brindisi, at the junction for Mesagne, they removed a road sign panel with a ladder truck: the wind had torn it up and tilted it dangerously with the risk of falling onto the road. Similar situations are being recorded in various areas of the city: billboards torn down, branches and trees fallen, tiles, antennas and unsafe cornices, scaffolding and damaged roofing.

Alert goes up in Florence, code orange until tomorrow

The alert level rises in Florence. Compared to yesterday's forecasts, the new bulletin from the Regional Functional Center indicates a worsening of the situation and places the orange code for hydrogeological-hydraulic risk on the minor grid from 5pm today until midnight tomorrow. The provision also concerns waterways such as Ema, Mugnone and Terzolle. From midnight, the yellow code will also come into effect for the hydraulic risk on the main network, which includes the Arno. The yellow code for strong thunderstorms remains in force until midnight today.

Campania: strong winds and inconveniences to maritime connections

Inconvenience due to the bad weather which, since this afternoon, has been affecting various areas of Campania, a region in which a yellow weather alert has been in force since 3pm for strong winds with gusts and consequent rough or very rough seas with storm surges along the exposed coasts and thunderstorms, even intense. Repercussions have also been had on maritime connections in the Gulf of Naples, with several hydrofoil trips to and from Procida and Ischia which have undergone cancellations or modifications. However, ferry services are regular. Furthermore, broken branches have been reported in various areas of the region, including in the province of Salerno. The weather warning warning is in force until 3pm tomorrow.

Migrants missing in Ventimiglia, three others identified, recovery underway

Firefighters identified three other migrants who had taken shelter in a ravine in the railway overpass after the water level of the Roja river in Ventimiglia rose. The firefighters are lowering themselves from the railway bridge to recover them. Searches are now continuing to ascertain whether there are other people who were overwhelmed and dragged away by the water.

Liguria, full Magra river expected at 10pm

The peak of the Magra river, in the La Spezia area, "is expected at the mouth by 10pm this evening, with a flow rate estimated at just under 2,000 cubic meters per second, therefore higher than the first warning threshold". The regional councilor for Civil Protection, Giacomo Giampedrone, explains this, taking stock of the bad weather that affected the whole of Liguria, in particular the Levante. "At the moment we do not expect any particular critical issues. The pauses in rainfall will allow the waterways to dispose of part of the significant amount of rain that has fallen, but during the night and especially tomorrow morning, new showers and thunderstorms, even strong ones, are still possible in the Levant. This is why it is essential to maintain maximum caution".

Tomorrow schools open in Prato

Tomorrow, Friday 13 November, the schools in the municipal area of Prato will remain open, limited to carrying out educational activities. The decision was taken by the municipal administration following the outcome of the latest technical assessments: compared to yesterday's models - which also hypothesized a red alert scenario - the current meteorological picture does not reveal elements that would justify the closure of school buildings. Following the issue of the orange alert, the Municipality of Prato activated the Municipal Operations Center (Coc) at 5pm, which will remain operational throughout the night.

In Tuscany several rivers above the first warning level

Monitoring of waterways in Tuscany continues, where the regional control system reports several exceeding of reference levels, with some situations having reached the second warning level. Particular attention is paid to the Pistoia Ombrone, which reached the second level in Pontelungo and Ponte alle Vanne, while the first level was recorded in Poggio a Caiano. The expansion tank system was activated precisely in Ponte alle Vanne, to contribute to the management of flow rates and contain the effects of the increase in hydrometric levels. Second level also for the Brana stream in Agliana, for the Reno in Pracchia and for the Pescia di Collodi in Montecarlo.

In Emilia-Romagna forty interventions by the Fire Brigade

Due to the bad weather, which is also affecting the provinces of Emilia-Romagna, the Fire Brigade carried out forty interventions. In detail, during the day there were: 11 in Bologna, 6 in Ferrara, 5 in Reggio Emilia, 4 in Forlì-Cesena, 4 in Rimini, 3 in Modena, 3 in Parma, 2 in Piacenza and 2 in Ravenna. The red helmets carried out urgent technical rescue activities regarding the removal of fallen trees and branches, the resolution of flooding and the securing of unsafe parts. In Bologna, the Municipality communicates on its social channels, the underpass in via del Triumvirato has been closed due to flooding, with maximum attention also being paid to the conditions of those in viale Sabena and viale Togliatti.

Migrants missing in Ventimiglia, railway line interrupted

To allow searches for migrants who were no longer heard from after the rising Roja river in Ventimiglia overwhelmed their camp under an overpass, the railway line was interrupted. Polfer confirmed this to Ansa. Firefighters and law enforcement are working on site.

Rivers rise in the Pistoia area, expansion basins open

The wave of bad weather in Tuscany is also having its effects felt in inland areas. In the province of Pistoia, the system of expansion tanks in the Ponte alle Vanne area on the Ombrone Pistoiese was activated to alleviate the flood peak of the river, which has reached the second warning level as well as the Brana stream a few kilometers away in Agliana (Pistoia). These are waterways which in recent events have flooded and caused problems. Even the Reno river, in Pracchia (Pistoia), has reached the second guard, as has the Pescia in Montecarlo (Lucca). In the Prato area, Bisenzio is at the first level. The Arno is within the reference limits. The disturbance coming from the Ligurian Sea is moving along the Tuscan Apennines and the rains swell streams and rivers in the mountains.

Migrants swept away by the river in Ventimiglia are being searched for missing

A group of migrants who lived camped on the bed of the Roja river, under a railway overpass in Ventimiglia, were overwhelmed in the late afternoon by the sudden rise of the water. The firefighters who intervened on site rescued eight people, while there is no news of another six: they may have moved away to escape controls or been trapped in the water. The searches are also conducted by divers.

Amorese (FdI): “I am in continuous contact with Minister Musumeci”

"I am constantly in contact with the Ministry of Civil Protection, led by Nello Musumeci and I receive updates from the competent territorial authorities who are currently busy dealing with the emergency in the province of Massa Carrara, hit hard by the bad weather" and "I am close to the hundreds of displaced people, in particular the residents of some isolated hamlets, due to ongoing landslides, who are unable to reach their homes". The Apuan member of FdI Alessandro Amorese made this known in a note.

Water pumps in action in Tuscany

Activate the water pumps on the coast in Massa to help the Poveromo stream flow into the sea. It is one of the countermeasures that the Tuscany North Reclamation Consortium has taken while bad weather hits Lunigiana.

In Tuscany 65 people evacuated, 53 isolated

In Tuscany, due to bad weather, 65 people were evacuated from their homes while another 53 were isolated. The regional civil protection communicates this based on the official data provided by the municipalities and the competent subjects to the regional civil protection operations room. In detail, there are 39 people preventively evacuated in the municipalities of San Giuliano Terme and Vagli di Sotto and 26 actually evacuated in San Giuliano Terme, while 53 people are isolated in the Casette and Caglieglia localities, in the province of Massa-Carrara. The critical issues not yet resolved are a total of 77 out of the 104 reported since the beginning.