Death and devastation in the sister community of Ostra

Created: 09/22/2022, 18:17

By: Joerg Domke

Friends of Silke Staab-Thuro sent this picture from Ostra to Markt Schwaben.

© private

Shocking news arrived in Markt Schwaben.

Friends in the partner community of Ostra have experienced a storm catastrophe.

There were deaths.

Now they want to help from Markt Schwaben.

Markt Schwaben/Ostra –

Silke Staab-Thuro and other Markt Schwabeners, who have been working hard to ensure the success of the community partnership with the Italian Ostra for years, could not believe their eyes.

There was a report from the Marche region on the TV news these days with photos of houses that looked familiar to her and many others who had been to Ostra before.

It was immediately clear: There is terrible news from Italy: Last Friday night, extreme rainfall - it is said to be 420 l/m² - killed four people in just seven hours in the district of Pianello di Ostra, destroyed many livelihoods and made residents homeless .

The water masses flowed up to two meters high through the village, swept everything away and left a trail of devastation and a loamy mud desert.

In constant contact with the friends in Italy

Terrible images of misery and destruction still reach the friends in Markt Schwaben, who now want to do everything they can to support the twin town, as the dedicated Ostra Committee member told EZ.

A benefit concert, organized by Susi Gammel, and sales activities at the Swabian autumn market on October 9th are now being prepared.

They want to sell wine, soap and olive oil there.

“We would like to use the proceeds either in the form of donations in kind, which are urgently needed, or targeted monetary donations, e.g.

B. to organizations that help the local victims to Ostra,” it says.

Silke Staab-Thuro: "The partnership committee is in constant contact with those affected to find out where and how they can help easily."

Fundraising planned at the fall market

Very moving, she says, is the fate of a family that has been guests in Markt Schwaben several times and has warmly welcomed Markt Schwabener into their own house for many years.

Fiammetta Mancini, meanwhile a very good friend of many Markt Schwabeners, lost almost everything with her family.

For the second time since the 2014 tsunami, her house was severely damaged.

This time the ground floor was completely destroyed and made uninhabitable.

As if by a miracle, her husband was able to be pulled upstairs from the floodwaters at the last second by their daughter Giulia with the help of sheets.

Staab-Thuro: "We don't know any of the four dead in Ostra personally."

If you want to donate in advance: Förderverein Markt Schwaben aktiv eV, reference: “Ostra-Hilfe” IBAN: DE 25 7025 0150 0022 6306 69. Be sure to state the reference.  

background

Here is the link to one of the German TV reports on the events: www.mdr.de/brisant/italien-unwetter-tote-100.html

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