My thoughts today have been with the people of Genoa, where flash floods which hit on Friday claimed seven lives. Today has been a day of mourning in the city with flags flying at half-mast and a minute's silence was observed for the victims at midday.
The first funeral, that of a 40-year-old nurse and mother who was originally from Sicily, has also taken place: Angela Chiaromonte and her 14-year-old son had taken shelter in a doorway and Angela died whilst trying to hold her child above the level of the torrent of water that was raging along the street with no mercy. Helped by another citizen, the boy survived but it was too late for anyone to be able to help Angela. In the same building, an Albanian mother and her two children, aged one and eight, died as they were trying to reach the safety of the upper floors: the water just swept them down into the basement. Nearby, a nineteen-year-old woman who had gone to collect her brother from school was crushed by cars which were being carried away by the flood.
Considerable anger has been directed at the city's Mayor for not closing the schools on Friday and it has also been implied that irregular building had been taking place in the city. However, geologists are now trying to ascertain whether delays in the widening of the Bisagno Torrent were the cause of the flood. The amount of rain that fell on Genoa on Friday was equivalent to the average rainfall in the city for the whole month of October.
In the past few days there has also been flooding in Tuscany and an elderly woman died in her flooded home on the Island of Elba today. There are also alerts along the course of the Po and there has been a flood in Naples. As more rain falls, Genoa will remain on flood alert until at least 18.00 on Tuesday.
10 comments:
Can't believe just how much damage there is all over Italy from the rain. I saw some pictures of Genova from a friend who lives there and it looks like there was a war.
That is so sad. I guess it came down so quickly and didn't have time to run off. This is the first time I've heard about it. Weather is crazy. We need rain so badly here and other places get way too much.
That's bad. The floods in Thailand have enabled the crocodiles to swim out of their farms and it's reckoned that 175,000 of them are on the loose! Somebody was bitten by one in Bangkok last week.
I'd never imagined this kind of thing happening in Genoa. What a terrible thing it is.
When will it ever stop, we came home from flooding in Thailand only to find more devastation here in Italy :(
Hi, Bev. Yes, the destruction was unbelieveable and in such a short time. Those poor people didn't stand a chance. Hi, Betty. Yes, very sad and, as you say, it happened so quickly. Hi, WW. I heard there were crocs but I had no idea there were that many. Hi, Jenny. Yes, terrible. Hi, LindyLouMac. I hadn't realised you had been in Thailand. Is everything OK where you are?
This diaster was terible! My husband has elderly aunts and uncles living in Genoa and we were not able to get in touch with them this weekend...we are trying again tomorrow.
Hi, Pat. I do hope you have managed to contact your husband's relatives and that they are all safe. Let me know if I can help.
omg, there has been NOTHING about this in our msm.
Genova is a fine city which I have visited many times; deep sympathies to these people.
I do think, though, that if a whole month's rain fell in such a short time, no sort of precautions would have avoided major trouble; one thinks of Florence and Venice in '66.
Hi, WY. Yes, I like Genova too. I agree with you - I don't think anyone could have prevented what happened.
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