Monza and Brianza are under water. Today, Wednesday 15 May, is a day to forget. The forecasts, already yesterday evening, announced heavy rainfall with the Lombardy Region having issued an orange alert.
The situation in Monza
Since 3.20pm the Municipality of Monza and the Civil Protection have been progressively closing the bridges over the Lambro. The viale Cavriga bridges (inside the Park, on the Porta Monza-Villasanta route) and the via Montesanto-viale delle Industrie bridge remain open to guarantee circulation (east-west crossings). In Monza, via Aliprandi, from via Zanzi to via Bergamo, was closed; Boccaccio and Cantore streets were also closed due to flooding. Civil protection volunteers are working to set up anti-flood barriers. Meanwhile, shopkeepers and residents of the center are positioning the bulkheads in front of homes and shops. Men, women and children tirelessly put sandbags, but also wooden slabs to try to protect the entrances and cellars. Since 8pm there have been problems with the electricity: in the San Gerardo area, Largo Esterle, in via Annoni, in via Grazie Vecchie there have been power outages. Enel technicians are managing emergencies with technical teams on site. An attempt is being made to restore power via secondary substations other than those in fault.
The mayor urges caution
Mayor Paolo Pilotto, who has been participating in the work of the COC (Municipal Operations Center) set up in the Council room since 1pm, invites citizens to travel by car only in case of necessity. The weekly market in Piazza Trento and Piazza Cambiaghi will not take place tomorrow; the decision on the possible closure of schools will come after 9pm when the peak of the flood is expected. Updates will be published constantly online, even late in the evening, on the Municipality website www.comune.monza.it.
In the late afternoon the citizens of the center and of the risk areas received the call from the mayor who illustrated the situation and recommended maximum caution. The communication from the Municipality had already arrived at 2pm: “Given the level of the Lambro, citizens who live along the river are advised to protect their homes and remove cars parked in the basement. The Ztl (Limited Traffic Zone) gates have been turned off” Via Borgazzi is flooded, as is Viale Campania, as can be seen in the video published on the Facebook page “You are from Monza if…”.
From 2.45pm the Monza Park is closed due to the flooding of the Lambro in several sections. The schools in the city center were also closed: the Nido Centro (the children moved to the town hall), the Umberto I nursery school (the children were taken under the arcades of the Arengario), the De Amicis elementary school (the children they transferred to Liceo Zucchi). The Bellani and Confalonieri middle schools and Nei were also closed out of caution. Evening schools have informed pupils and teachers to close from 8pm.
In Brianza roads and motorways closed
Meanwhile in Desio the station underpass has been closed since 11.15am: the mayor Simone Gargiulo announced it with a post on social media. In Agrate Brianza the Colleoni underpass flooded. The entrance to the Eastern ring road from Agrate towards Lecco is closed due to flooding.
Shortly before 3.30pm, on the A4 Milan-Brescia the section between the junction with the A35 and Cavenago Brianza towards Milan was temporarily closed as a precautionary measure “due to the flooding affecting the areas adjacent to the motorway and starting to also affect part of the road surface at km 155 between Trezzo sull’Adda and Cavenago – we read in the official note from Anas – the Traffic Police patrols and the staff of the 2nd Section of Milan Directorate of Autostrade per l are on site. ‘Italy. Users coming from Brescia and heading towards Milan or Turin are advised, after the mandatory entry onto the A35, to take the external A58 Tangenziale Est via which to head towards Milan or towards the A4 to take it back towards Turin.
Readers tell us that there are flooded roads in Trezzo, Cornate d’Adda, Busnago, Bellusco and Vimercate.
The municipal civil protection group of Caponago warns that: “the police and civil protection are busy on the Sp13 between Caponago and Agrate where the road is closed and unpassable due to flooding. The carabinieri are diverting into traffic”. The warning is to move “only if necessary. The manholes and drains are receiving very high stress for rainwater recovery, there are cars doing water planning. We ask you to go at a moderate speed”.
In Bernareggio a wall collapsed inside a condominium complex.
Updated news
