The violent disturbance that hit the Center-South yesterday caused three victims. In Tuscany, in the municipality of Borgo a Mozzano (Lucca), a 41-year-old man who was driving his car died, hit by a boulder that detached from a rock face. In the Marche region, in Urbino, a woman who just got off the bus died crushed by a tree uprooted by very strong gusts of wind. In the province of Milan, in Buscate, an elderly man, apparently due to a strong gust of wind, lost control of his bicycle and ended up on the bonnet of a van which ran over him.
A near tragedy, however, in Val Gardena where a tree uprooted by the wind fell against the ropes of the gondola lift, blocking the system and throwing the 200 people on board into panic. The strong gusts of wind also caused a cargo from Sarajevo to run off the runway at the Ancona airport. The aircraft broke its undercarriage but the pilot was able to complete the maneuver without further damage. The three crew members were unharmed.
La Toscana it is among the most affected areas, with wind gusts exceeding 100 km/h. Five people were injured by a collapsed concrete pole in Figline Valdarno (Florence). Traffic problems on many roads and motorways, especially on the A12. Stops or delays on the railway lines, while the ferries to Elba have been suspended. Flights diverted or canceled at Florence airport; problems and damage also to the Careggi hospital. Schools closed in Pistoia, Prato and in many municipalities in the provinces of Arezzo, Florence and Lucca. A lot of damage in Versilia: hundreds of fallen trees, in particular in Forte dei Marmi where Villa Bertelli, the seat of the Municipality, was also damaged. Some of the cypresses of Bolgheri, sung by Carducci, have also fallen.
In Prato, the wind caused a portion of the historic city walls and part of a former factory adjacent to a health center to collapse: around 150 people were evacuated. The terrace of a school in Grosseto was uncovered, luckily no one was injured. On the other hand, two women, a teacher and a janitor in Ponte a Moriano (Lucca) were injured, hit by two panels that detached from the roof of the school due to the strong wind. In Cortona the bell tower of the church of Mezzavia dating back to the seventeenth century has collapsed. About 100 users have been left without electricity in the region and the president, Enrico Rossi, has announced that he will sign the regional state of emergency.
Strong wind even in Liguria, with heavy reflections on the railway connections due to the fall of trees on the rails. The Cosco Africa, the ship that broke its moorings last night in the port of Prà-Voltri, due to gusts of wind, was forced to leave its mooring place to be brought to anchor in a safe position.
Difficult situation also in the Senigallia area, in the Marche – already devastated by a flood on May 3 – where heavy rains have raised the levels of the Misa river and various streams. Also in the province of Fermo the flood alert was triggered due to the flooding of the Ete. Strong winds over much of Umbria where it began to snow on the Apennine strip in the province of Perugia and about 13 users were left without electricity.
Fallen trees, floods, non-functioning traffic lights and haywire traffic a Roma; the courthouse was also hit where part of the false ceiling collapsed probably due to water infiltration. Tornado and flooding on the coast.
In Abruzzo, in Pescara and in the province incessant rain, with strong gusts of wind on the coast. He closed the schools today in Montesilvano and for two days in Città Sant'Angelo. Even in Teramo, where the snow has fallen profusely, the mayor has signed the ordinance to close schools of all levels. In the region some rivers have reached the alarm threshold. Maxi rear-end collision due to the asphalt made slippery by the snow at the exit of the Gran Sasso tunnel towards Rome.
In Molise tomorrow schools closed in dozens of municipalities, roads closed to traffic, flooding and injuries caused by falls on the snow.
A Napoli a wall collapsed in the Chiaia district, running over eight cars that were parked on the street. Numerous interventions by the fire brigade due to infiltrations, flooding and falling plaster in various municipalities in the province. Snow on Vesuvius from the top to the lowest altitudes.
Bad weather also in Sardinia, with mistral gusts up to eighty kilometers per hour, waves up to seven meters high and inconvenience in maritime connections (Tirrenia and Moby have suspended connections with the peninsula for today), while in Sicilia two Ryanair flights from Parma and Bologna to Trapani were diverted to Palermo due to bad weather conditions at the Birgi airport. (Source: Ansa)
