«Embankments broken in ten places, the basins worked but we have to rethink the models. Anyone who suffered damage should take photos”

PADUA – «Between yesterday and tonight we witnessed a unique phenomenon, which occurs once every 300 years. Basically we had to deal with an amount of precipitation equal to approximately 230-240 millimeters per square meter in a few hours. There are about ten embankment breaks but to date we have no news of injuries or victims».

The critical points

Thus the president of the Veneto Region, Luca Zaia, during the press conference at the Civil Protection headquarters in Mestre. «These phenomena are exceptional – added the president of the Veneto Region – but if they were to worsen further, as we have been experiencing in recent years, then we would find ourselves having to rethink management models again and further implementing currently existing infrastructure. In fact the rolling basins worked. If we hadn’t made the area safe after the 2010 flood we would be here talking about a catastrophe. In any case, let’s record one dozens of embankment breaks, the most serious perhaps that on the Muson near Camposampiero (north of Padua) with flooding up to Massanzago, kilometers away. Starting tonight, the Civil Protection is working to restore the banks and we are confident of closing the leak in the next few hours. In Veneto we have around 10 thousand km of embankments which contain, among other things, hanging rivers where the water runs on or above the level of the countryside. We have done a lot of work to reinforce the banks, to create lamination basins, etc. and we have recorded no victims or injuries but 10 bank breaks, a danger that should not be underestimated. In Venice the MOSE was not activated because the conditions at sea were poor but the heavy rain significantly raised the water levels in the city. The damage is extensive and we ask citizens to document it with photos and videos. We hope that the head of Civil Protection Fabrizio Curcio and his officials will come to Veneto to ascertain the situation as soon as possible. We will work to guarantee state support to citizens and businesses affected by this latest extreme climate phenomenon».

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