A violent wave of Maltempo he flagellated the Northern Italy, causing serious inconvenience and damage huge in Valle d'Aosta e Piedmont. Landslides, mudslides and flooding have isolated entire localities, forcing the authorities to evacuate numerous people. While bad weather persists in the North with rain, thunderstorms and a drop in temperatures, al South the cooler air coming from the Mistral brings sunshine and a respite from the intense heat.
Bad weather caused casualties across the border. In Switzerland, in the Canton of Ticino, two people died due to a landslide in the Fontana area. In France, in the Aube region, three people elderly women were killed by a falling tree during a storm.
Aosta Valley: Cogne and Cervinia isolated
The situation is critical Cogne, where the country remained isolated due to the closure of the only connecting road. “The main urgency is the evacuation of people who have to go down to the valley. We are doing it with helicopter flights, we have already brought down at least 300, and there are just as many to evacuate,” he declared Franco Allera, mayor of Cogne. The aqueduct was destroyed by the torrent, leaving much of the town without water. Authorities are working on a temporary repair.
Christine Cavagnet, hotelier in Valnontey, said that the Gran Paradiso campsite was evacuated and the Herbetet hotel welcomed around 30 displaced people. Also there municipal road of Valnontey it suffered significant damage, with the electricity grid and aqueduct out of order. Technical inspections are underway to assess the damage and plan restoration interventions.
A Cervinia, Marmore stream it overflowed, flooding garages, shops and underground rooms. “The damage is huge, we're talking about millions of euros,” he said Massimo Chatrian, deputy mayor of Valtournenche. The situation is now under control, with work underway to repair damaged stream banks and aqueducts.
Piedmont: isolated valleys and rescue interventions
In Piedmont, several areas were hit by landslides and mudslides. TO Local, 37 people were evacuated from a restaurant isolated by a landslide. TO Chialamberto, a condominium of 50 people was evacuated due to flooding risk. Rescue interventions were also carried out in Mountaineer, where a family with a 3-month-old baby girl was rescued after being stuck in the car due to an enlarged Orco stream.
In the area of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, around thirty hikers remained stuck in the shelters at the foot of Monte Rosa. “There is no emergency situation, but the invitation has been issued not to move and to stay in the shelters,” explained the mayor of Macugnaga, Alessandro Bonacci. The Noasca waterfall, in the Upper Orco Valley, has suffered extensive damage, but the situation is improving and the roads will soon be freed.
Interventions and request for a state of emergency
The president of the Piedmont Region, Alberto Cirio, is in contact with the mayors of the affected areas and with the national civil protection to coordinate interventions and request it state of emergency. “The most serious damage was recorded in the Gran Paradiso, Canavese, Orco and Lanzo valleys and Macugnaga. The regional room is operational and our technicians are at work and are reaching the affected areas for an initial assessment of the damage and to identify, together with the Municipalities, the first urgent restoration interventions. I am in contact with the Valle d'Aosta Region and this morning I spoke to the Head of the National Civil Protection Department, Fabrizio Curcio, on the phone to request a state of emergency", declared Cirio.
Bad weather moves to the North East: yellow alert in 4 regions
The bad weather, which hit the North West hard, is moving towards the North East of Italy. For today, 1 ° July, ayellow alert for Veneto, Friuli Venice Giulia, Adige and various sectors ofEmilia Romagna. Scattered rain is expected from the morning which will become more intense in the afternoon, especially in Friuli, Veneto and Emilia Romagna, with the possibility of strong thunderstorms, hailstorms and gusts of wind.
An area of bad weather coming from the Atlantic is bringing instability to Central Europe and will also affect the northern Italian regions during the night. The Department of Civil Protection, in collaboration with the regions involved, has issued a warning of adverse weather conditions.
In particular, the Decentralized Functional Center of the Civil Protection of Veneto confirmed theyellow alert for different basins hydrographic, including Adige-Garda, Monti Lessini, Po and Basso Brenta-Bacchiglione.
Weather: no more intense heat
While the North is hit by bad weather, the Center and the South enjoy sunshine and a gradual drop in temperatures, offering a respite from the intense heat.
In the last few hours, the African heat has loosened its grip on Italy. From Tuesday 2 July, cooler and drier air will also arrive in the South thanks to the Mistral, bringing rain, thunderstorms and a significant decrease in temperatures.
Between Thursday 4th and Friday 5th July, high pressure will guarantee stable and sunny weather across the entire country, with summer temperatures but normal, around 30 degrees.
