“In an instant a kind of vortex started and the roofs took off like helicopters.” The story is by Antonio Morettini, resident of Vertovamunicipality of Seriana Valley in the province of Bergamo. When the storm passed on Friday evening she was at home and saw, within a minute, part of her town destroyed: roofs uncovered, cars destroyed, trees collapsed. In fact, the damage caused by the storm and the strong gusts of wind that hit the province of Bergamo and, in particular, the municipalities of Treviolo, Treviglio, Ponteranica, Albano, Vertova, Nossa Bridge And Clusone.
Some of the numerous roofs uncovered in the municipality of Vertova in Val Seriana, in the province of Bergamo (Local Team)
Tornado in Vertova
In the country of Vertova the roofs of many houses were completely uncovered by the wind: pieces of sheet metal flew through the streets and several trees fell. A car with two people on board was hit by a plant, fortunately without serious injuries. TO Clusoneinstead, a unsafe building where a party was taking place was evacuated by the police.
“We’ve seen these two storm fronts go towards each other”, says Morettini. “At a certain point, my son who was going towards the town in the car turned back out of fear. And then in an instant, less than a minute, a began kind of vortex. The roofs took off like helicopters: one roof headed towards the valley, another crashed to the ground where fortunately there was no one. In 61 years I have never seen something like this.”
The semi-uncovered roof of the “Papa Giovanni XXIII” secondary school in Ponte Nossa
Damage in the rest of Val Seriana
Roofs also severely damaged at Nossa Bridgeas well as in Vertova: the roof of the secondary school of first degree “Pope John XXIII” in via Rimembranze was partially uncovered making the building unusable, while in via San Bernardino, a sheet of metal detached from a municipal building hit the roof of a building.
TO Ponteranicahowever, a flood caused a brief blackout in some houses in the town. TO Treviglio trees fell and in the city of Lower Il overpass near the hospital was closed in both directions due to falling branches.
