The emergency services in Sicily have to keep their nerves: The region in Italy is facing the second cyclone within a short time.
Sicily was hit by a cyclone on Tuesday.
Floods were the result, three people perished in the floods.
Now the tropical storm-like "Apollo" hits the small island and brings heavy rain with it again.
On Saturday he is supposed to move south.
This news ticker is updated regularly.
Update from October 29, 9:56 p.m
.: Sicily was only hit hard by a storm on Tuesday. There was severe flooding on the island in the Mediterranean Sea, killing three people. According to the German Weather Service, the average annual rainfall of 600 liters per square meter fell in just 48 hours. The streets of the Sicilian city of Catania became torrential rivers. But the island does not find peace: Now the tropical storm "Apollo" hits Sicily. The low pressure area brought heavy rain again on Thursday. Around 100 to 200 liters per square meter fell within 24 hours. According to forecasts by the German Weather Service, the heavy rain showers will last until Saturday evening.
The rotating thunderstorm spiral of "Apollo" resembles a tropical cyclone and its properties are similar. The cyclone has a cloudless eye and no warm or cold fronts, as is otherwise the case with low pressure areas in these latitudes. It is therefore also known as the “Hurricane over the Mediterranean” or “Medicane” - a combination of “Mediterranean” and “Hurricane”. On Saturday, the storm should then move south, Sicily can breathe easy. However, according to the forecasts, the low pressure area hits the coast of Libya on Sunday evening and also brings heavy rain, squalls and high waves of up to three meters with it. Overall, however, according to the current state of knowledge, the storm will weaken on its way across the sea, predicts the German Weather Service.
Cyclone claimed three lives, now another storm hits the region around Catania
Update from October 29, 4:39 p.m
.: On Friday, the emergency services in the Sicilian Catania at the foot of Mount Etna recovered the body of a woman reported missing.
A total of three people have been killed in the storm in eastern Sicily, which has been raging since Wednesday.
The rescue workers suspect that the woman got out of the car despite the flooding and was then caught and carried away by the masses of water.
Her body was found about five kilometers away from her vehicle.
Her husband had also left the vehicle and was found dead about two kilometers away.
The third fatality had also got out of the car and was pushed under the vehicle by the masses of water.
Another storm could soon hit the region around the city of Catania in Sicily.
Meteorologists expect a hurricane in the Mediterranean, a so-called "Medicane" (Mediterranean Hurricane), as reported by the German press agency.
The predictions are worrying, said the mayor of the city of Catania, Salvo Pogliese.
He instructed the population to stay at home and only leave the house for necessary errands.
Schools, shops and offices will remain closed until further notice.
The government declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, the civil protection authority classified the risk in the region in the highest warning level red.
More intense rainfall is expected and further flooding is likely.
Rescue workers work under the most difficult conditions
Update from October 29, 4:16 p.m
.: A current Twitter clip shows the difficult conditions under which the emergency services currently have to work.
"We are continuing to fight the consequences of the storm in Sicily in the city of Syracuse," wrote the Italian police.
“There have already been 100 interventions today.
The clip shows the rescue of a man and his dog ":
#Siracusa, prosegue il lavoro dei #vigilidelfuoco per il #maltempo che stainterestando la #Sicilia orientale.
100 gli interventi effettuati #oggi, nella clip il salvataggio di un uomo con il suo cane bloccati dall'acqua nella propria abitazione, in contrada Benalì pic.twitter.com/lZbLRHw4Ia
- Vigili del Fuoco (@emergenzavvf) October 29, 2021
Update from October 29, 3:01 p.m
.: The fire brigade on the Italian island of Sicily is in constant use.
She moved out of Catania and Syracuse a good 160 times within 24 hours.
The emergency services tweeted this on Friday.
During the night, the rain intensified, said the head of the civil protection authority in Sicily, Salvo Cocina, on the public television broadcaster Rai 1. In the Air Force weather report, the meteorologists predicted heavy rain and strong winds for Friday
(see first report)
.
Cyclone "Apollo" approaches Sicily: First streets already flooded - "Looking for a shelter"
First report from October 29th
: Palermo - The hurricane "Apollo" is approaching Sicily, which has already been damaged by storms. The city of Augusta is currently hardest hit by the continuous rain. With State Road 114 closed, the city is now largely isolated. The Italian newspaper
La Repubblica
reported on Friday
. However, Catania airport is open and the first planes have started. The civil protection advises caution when approaching, as the ring road is partially flooded.
Many volunteers are on duty, a
Repubblica
reporter accompanied them.
“We are going to monitor one of the critical areas of the city,” says one of them.
The phone rings in the coordination center.
It is the turn of a woman who has to go to the Polyclinic in Catania for chemotherapy.
“Can I take the bus?” She wants to know.
Actually, because of the heavy rain on Catania, the recommendation is not to leave the house.
“We mustn't underestimate the danger,” says a 22-year-old political student.
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The city of Catania is currently largely inaccessible.
© Orietta Scardino / Imago
Storm in Italy: "The situation is developing rapidly"
The numbers of the weather stations in the east of Sicily are dramatic, writes the newspaper.
The storm made some provincial roads inaccessible.
Either they are flooded, or there are boulders or fallen trees on the streets.
The newspaper describes scenes from the work of Marco Romano, the head of the municipal civil protection of Catania: "The situation is developing rapidly - looking for a place to hide," he warns the employees over the radio.
The amount of rain is increasing and around the village of Santa Maria Goretti there have been problems with water runoff.
First of all, Romano has good news: “The channels are free.
We were only back this morning to do important cleaning work, remove branches and dirt. "
Cyclone "Apollo": Helpers "a shower runs down their spines"
Then the turning point: “At ten o'clock in the evening
(editor's note: on Thursday)
Romano's employees had a shiver down their spine.
Cyclone Apollo is no longer just an announcement, it is coming.
The teams set off immediately.
'We have to keep the promenade under control,' explained Romano. "
Sicily was hit by a cyclone on Tuesday.
There had already been heavy rains, floods and landslides there in the days before, and three people have died so far.
The authorities ordered the closure of schools and authorities in the affected region by the weekend
(frs)