Landslide on the island of Ischia off Naples – at least one dead

Storms have been raging in Italy for a week. A landslide has now occurred on the island of Ischia off Naples. At least one person was killed.

• landslide on the Ischia Island: 13 people are still missing on the island off Naples
• Hurricane gusts and high waves Venice: That flood protection system “Moses” saved the city from further flooding
• fierce storm in whole Italy: On November 22nd there were about a hundred fire brigade operations in Rome alone

Update from November 26, 9:15 p.m.: According to the Ansa news agency, around 30 families are trapped in their homes by the mud, without electricity or water. The access to her neighborhood was blocked by mud and debris. Heavy rain triggered the landslide in the north of the island off Naples early on Saturday morning. The mud and debris poured through the small town of Casamicciola Terme, penetrated at least one house and tore several cars into the sea, as reported by the media and rescue workers. Two people were rescued from their car that was washed into the sea.

Local authorities urged islanders to remain indoors so as not to disrupt rescue efforts. Persistent rain and strong winds hampered the work of the rescue teams, and reinforcements from Naples were also a long time coming due to the storm.

Storm in Italy: landslide on the island of Ischia off Naples – one dead and 13 people missing

Update from November 26, 3:00 p.m.: After the severe landslide on the Italian island of Ischia, local authorities have now corrected the death toll downwards. At least one woman was killed, and around ten people were still missing in the afternoon. Vice Prime Minister Matteo Salvini had previously spoken of eight fatalities, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi later denied this statement. A temporarily missing family with a baby has now been found and is currently being treated medically, according to the Italian authorities.

Update from November 26, 1:38 p.m.: At least eight people have died in a landslide on the Italian island of Ischia. This was reported by Italian media on Saturday, citing Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini. AP News also reports that at least ten buildings have collapsed. Other people are missing, including three children.

Update from November 26, 12:50 p.m.: Several people have been 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 because of the announced storm.

According to the fire brigade, they had been on duty since the early morning due to flooding and landslides. Television images 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 previously occurred.

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 “Moses” flood protection system “saved” Venice, the Italian news agency reports ansa.it With. 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 am: During the violent storms in Italy, firefighters had to rescue a man from a stream in the Siena area on Tuesday 22 November. 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.

Severe weather in Italy: red alert in Abruzzo – snow in the Alps

Update from November 22, 2:56 p.m: Like the Italian newspaper la Republica reported, 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 there is a gradual increase” 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. On the Catania-Messina highway, the fire brigade had to intervene because three people were injured by a falling tree, like them la Republica 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. Noisy Wetter.de this would be the third highest value since the beginning of the measurement. 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)