The provisional toll of theIschi flooda, where a very violent storm caused a big one landslide in Casamicciola. The landslide, in turn, caused a huge mudslide and boulders, which collapsed several buildings and severely damaged others.
La first victim ascertained her name was Eleonora Sirabella and she was 31 years old. In the late morning of today, rescuers found the bodies of a little girl aged between 5 and 6 years and of an old woman. Four wounded, one seriously, and 9 missing. There are 167 displaced persons. This morning an air force HH139 helicopter carried out a search and rescue operation in the areas affected by the Ischia landslide. The operation led to the rescue of five people, three adults and two children who had remained isolated in a farmhouse.
What happened in Ischia
Rescuers continue to work tirelessly in the hope of finding the missing alive. The head of civil protection, Fabrizio Curcio Curcio, calls for caution for the next 48 hours. prepared thesafe evacuation of about 200 people.
Un river of mud and debris it hit Casamicciola, a town on the island of Ischia, around 5 am on November 26th. The landslide came down from Mount Epomeo, behind the hamlet of the island, as happened in November 2009, and dragged boulders and debris that caused the collapse of at least 10 buildings. There are about 30 isolated families in total 100 people yet to be reached and that they are without water and light. The road leading to their homes is currently impassable due to mud. At least a dozen cars and two tourist buses are piled up on the seafront, dragged down by the force of the landslide. Some cars ended up in the water, others are submerged in mud. It's no better in the upper area, the one already injured by the 2017 earthquake. The bobcats go back and forth to remove the debris. The regional civil protection has prepared generators that will be put into operation in order to allow searches even in the dark.
According to Paola Salvati of the research institute for hydrogeological protection of the Cnr, quoted by Republic, in the last 20 years the water had "never touched 50 millimeters in an hour, like last night between 4 and 5. Neither the 120 mm in six hours: it rained a lot between midnight and six in the morning”.
Council of Ministers declares a state of emergency and allocates 2 million
The Council of Ministers meeting in the morning declared the state of emergency for a year and placed a first allocation of 2 million euros. This was announced by the minister for the South, Nello Musumeci who has the delegation to the Civil Protection. It was also proposed to the Head of Civil Protection the appointment of a extraordinary commissioner of Simonetta Calcaterra, current Extraordinary Commissioner of the Municipality of Casamicciola.
The 2 million already foreseen “will be followed by other allocations as soon as we have an overview of the damage and immediate needs. The reasoning on the reconstruction plan which will concern public and private structures is different ”, added Musumeci.
“The civil protection ordinance that will follow the declaration of the state of emergency will also contain the extension of tax and social security obligations until December 2022, for residents of Ischia and for economic operators on the island, while the extension for 2023 will be arranged by law". This can be read in the Palazzo Chigi press release at the end of the CDM.
During the Council of Ministers – explains Palazzo Chigi – it was announced that the “National plan for adaptation to climate change”; the competent ministers will carry out a careful reconnaissance of the already existing financial resources to face the national hydrogeological emergency in order to use them in full, and of the personnel to be dedicated to support the municipalities, starting with the smallest ones.
“I think it is important that for the governor the emergency must finally be overcome, I'm talking about disasters caused by hydrogeological instability. In this sense, the Ministry for Civil Protection has been given the task of setting up a working group involving the representatives of the ministries interested in the planning and management of the funds, which, believe me, are quite a few mitigate the risk from landslides, floods and linked to hydrogeological instability – said Minister Musumeci -. The working group will have to put a different gear. I am 70 years of lack of planning. Studies exist but remain in the drawer and if they do not give life to an intervention they are useless. We immediately get to work to give a concrete signal and allow local authorities to be able to dispose of resources knowing of the shortcomings in the procedures".
