Keep burning Sicily. The images arriving from Trinacria appear to be those of a war zone, with flames, smoke and darkness in the main cities, despite the efforts of firefighters and the forestry corps who tried to intervene during the night to put out the fires. From the regional operations room of the Sicilian civil protection we learn that there are four air interventions scheduled this morning in the Palermo area: in Carini, Monte Palmeto area, Borgetto, and in the Monte Gradara and Altofonte area. In the Messina area, an air intervention is planned in Savoca. Meanwhile after ithe blackout which has hit the province of Catania, with neighborhoods that have been without electricity and water for four days, this morning also large areas of the city of Palermo woke up without light, with the electrical infrastructures unable to withstand the heat wave which gives respite.
The situation in Palermo
After the dramatic images arrived from Palermo yesterday evening and the closure of the Punta Raisi airport (later reopened), still result active fires in San Martino delle Scale, a hilly hamlet of Monreale, in Capaci, on the north coast, and in Torretta, an inland town on the same coast. Flames also in the hamlet of Altofonte, where a forest burns in an area where there are also some houses. Not yet tamed the fire that has been burning in the house since Monday night Bellolampo waste dump.
“In Palermo there were just over a thousand displaced persons, now almost all of them have returned to their homes. Two hotels have been made available, in which we count about twenty people still hosted by the Municipality. Of course, the damage to houses and to some commercial activities exists and is evident”, explained the mayor of Palermo Roberto Lagalla.
In the meantime though almost half the city is without electricity. The blackout affected entire neighborhoods, from Piazza Unità d'Italia to the port area, from Ballaró to Brancaccio. The same situation in the offices of the Department of Cultural Heritage in via delle Croci where the employees have been out of the rooms since this morning. atCivic hospital of Palermo many pavilions have been without electricity since tonight and Some operating theaters are not operational. Yesterday a group of Virgin Mary residents blocked the road in protest. Even in Palermo, as happened in Catania in recent days, the electrical substations are unable to withstand the extreme heat that has afflicted the island for days and the underground cables are damaged.
Updates from Catania
A Catania, which even today is among the red dot cities, thousands of citizens have been without electricity and water for four days. Hundreds of calls were made to the emergency number 095484000 operating 24 hours a day in the municipal civil protection operations center of Catania. Citizens are asking for assistance and information especially related to the lack of electricity and water. Volunteers are at work to alleviate the inconvenience of the population in the air-conditioned rooms set up by the Municipality in the Le Ciminiere exhibition complex.
In the province a vast fire has developed in the pine forest of Monti Rossi di Nicolosi, forcing the authorities to evacuate a campsite and other facilities. Flames too the Timpa of Acireale, protected green area, with the flames approaching the seaside villages of Acireale. Extensive burnings are also underway at Saffron. At work, non-stop, firefighters and forestry staff of the Sicilian Region. For the areas of greatest risk, the activation of canadairs has already been requested for a wide-ranging firefighting intervention from above.
Catania airport: up to 10 flights per hour, the latest news
Yesterday some news arrived on the operation of the'Catania Airport, the island's main airport and fifth national airport, which was damaged by a fire on the night of 16 July, de facto isolating a region of 5 million inhabitants, with the other airports unable to support the load.
Full operation will come only in first week of August. In the meantime, they will be carried out from today 10 flights per hour (5 departures and 5 arrivals), “while from Tuesday 500st August, when the XNUMX square meter tensile structure set up by the air force will come into operation, it will be possible to reach fourteen. The return to full normality will take place a few days later, as soon as the reclamation operations are completed e recovery of terminal A”, announced the president of the Sicilian Region, Renato Schifani, at the end of the operational meeting organized and chaired on Tuesday at the Fontanarossa airport.
the other provinces
Critical Situation a Messina. In the Giostra district and especially in the Villa Lina district, the firefighters worked throughout the night to put out the fires that also touched the buildings and a school. Over a thousand people evacuated as a precaution, some were left intoxicated. Several areas of the city are without electricity and water, with the Municipality having sent tankers to the most critical neighbourhoods.
A vast fire is burning there Pergusa nature reserve, in the province of Enna, while the road system is compromised on the main highways of the island due to fires that broke out on the Palermo-Catania, Palermo-Messina (A-20) highways where a fire damaged the Eni service area of Tindari, and Catania-Messina. You also rogue a Syracuse and Trapani, where yesterday the fire broke out near the archaeological park of Segesta.
The Civil Protection reports for today, Wednesday 26 July, "dangerousness on Agrigento, Caltanissetta, Enna, Messina and Palermo". Average danger expected in Catania, Syracuse, Ragusa and Trapani due to heat waves.
Sicily towards the State of Emergency
Sicily, together with four other regions in difficulty, is moving towards the State of Emergency, requested by the president of the Region Renato Schifani. The decision will be taken by the Government within the framework of the Cabinet scheduled for this evening which should also approve a decree that will kick off the climate-related redundancy fund.
