Extreme storms hit Italy: landslide on the island of Ischia off Naples – 13 missing
Created: 11/26/2022, 12:53 p.m
By: Marc Dimitriu
Due to a storm, flooding threatens Venice.
The lagoon city had to activate its flood protection.
Update from November 23, 12:50 p.m .:
Several people were reported missing on the Italian island of Ischia after a severe storm and landslides.
The authorities in the northern coastal town of Casamicciola were looking for 13 people, as the Carabinieri in Naples confirmed to the dpa on Saturday morning.
Their houses had therefore been damaged by a mudslide.
The authorities meanwhile evacuated people from their homes, as the civil defense tweeted.
According to media reports, some families were locked in their homes.
The authorities instructed people in several municipalities on the island to stay at home.
Ischia's Mayor Enzo Ferrandino ordered on Friday to close schools, parks and cemeteries for Saturday due to the announced storm.
There have been severe storms and a landslide on the island of Ischia in southern Italy.
The fire department is looking for 13 missing people.
© Antonio Balasco/Imago
According to the fire brigade, they had been on duty since the early morning due to flooding and landslides.
Television pictures and a video from the fire department showed completely wrecked cars, roads covered in mud, debris that had been carried away and a slope where a landslide appeared to have gone earlier.
Storm in Italy: Flood protection system "saved" Venice
Update from November 23, 9:10 a.m
.: Hurricane gusts and high waves push the sea water ashore.
“Aqua alta” is currently the order of the day in Venice.
The "Mose" flood protection system "saved" Venice, according to the Italian news
agency
ansa.it.
Without "Moses," 82 percent of the historic city would have been flooded.
There is still no relief in sight.
With the high tide, the city expects the next flood.
Storm surges hit the entire Roman coast during the night.
Waves over ten feet crashed onto the beaches of Ostia.
On the Amalfi Coast, the municipality of Maiori is particularly affected.
The waterfront is covered with sand and boulders.
The tourist port was completely flooded, reports Rai News.
It was said to be one of the strongest storms in recent years.
On Sardinia, gusts of wind swept across the island.
On top of that it rained incessantly.
It snowed more than 1,300 meters.
Schools and parks were closed.
The storm caused severe damage in large parts of Italy.
The Italian fire brigade reports 2,500 storm operations.
Update from November 23, 6:05 a.m
.: During the violent storms in Italy, the fire brigade had to rescue a man from a stream in the Siena area on Tuesday, November 22nd.
He got stuck trying to cross the creek in his SUV.
Meanwhile, Venice is not out of danger.
While the flood protection was retracted again during the night, it is supposed to open this morning
6.30 a.m. to be raised again.
At around 10:30 a.m., the water level should rise again to 145 centimeters above normal.
Without the "Mose" flood protection, the city would be under water at such a level.
The day before, the flood protection had already proven itself at a water level of over 170 centimeters and prevented the worst.
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Severe weather in Italy: red alert in Abruzzo – snow in the Alps
Update from November 22, 2:56 p.m
.: As the Italian newspaper
la Repubblica
reports, it has been raining in Abruzzo for hours.
The region has been on red alert all day. The Civil Protection Operations Center reports that "the reading of the hydrometric values of the Sangro river telemetry network signals that the alert threshold has been exceeded and that it is gradually rising" and recommends implementing those provided for in the municipal emergency plan Measures.
Other areas at risk include the upper Marsica Basin and the Aterno Basin.
While it's raining heavily inland, it's already snowing in the north.
In the ski resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo in the Dolomites, three centimeters fell during the night.
In Trentino, the snow line fell to 500 meters, in parts of Veneto it snowed above 1000 meters.
It snowed ten centimeters in the Vicentine Alps.
Heavy storms all over Italy: around a hundred fire brigade operations in Rome alone
Update from November 22, 1:21 p.m
.: Not only Venice is badly affected by the storm.
Firefighters are on duty across the country.
The fire brigade had to intervene on the Catania-Messina motorway because three people were injured by a falling tree, as
la Repubblica
writes.
In addition, the ferry connection to the island of Elba had to be suspended.
In the capital Rome, the fire brigade has so far had about a hundred calls due to fallen trees, unsafe signs, flooding and water damage in general.
Severe weather in Italy: Venice has to extend flood protection – extreme flooding threatens the city
First report from November 22, 2022:
Venice – There is currently a strong storm in Italy.
Storm DENISE is moving from Mallorca via Italy towards the Balkans.
Schools were even canceled in some parts of the country.
The civil defense reported locally fallen trees and flooding.
Apparently Venice will be hit particularly hard.
The northern Italian city has extended its flood protection gates due to severe flooding.
High water in Venice: 1.7 meters above normal - third highest value
The water level reached a level of about 170 centimeters above the normal level, as the municipality announced on Tuesday morning.
According to
Wetter.de
, this would be the third highest value since the measurement began.
The highest warning level now applies.
Without the flood protection, around 80 percent of the pedestrian paths in the lagoon city would be flooded at this level.
According to the municipality, such a level would also mean that people on the famous St. Mark's Square would be almost waist-deep in water.
Videos could be seen on social media of people walking across the rainy square on footbridges.
It's not flooded yet.
Severe weather in Italy: Venice drives out flood protection "Moses" due to high water
Early in the morning, the city rolled out the Flood Protection Mechanism, abbreviated as "Moses."
The system of 78 yellow flaps installed at three entrances to the lagoon has been in operation since 2020.
Especially in autumn, when rain and storms cause the water levels to rise, Venice keeps building the multi-billion dollar structure.
Since then, major floods in the Unesco World Heritage city have been avoided.
This is the highest tide the system has had to deal with since it was commissioned.
The salt water of the sea is a problem for the historical buildings, especially for the mosaics and frescoes, for example on churches.
The last time there was a major flood was around 2019, when on the night of November 12th to 13th a water level of 187 centimeters above normal was measured.
The historic flood of the century in Venice dates back to 1966, when the water swelled to 194 centimeters.
(md with dpa)
