Another wave of bad weather hit the province of Brescia yesterday. Yet another episode that has left its mark on this nightmare summer, not to mention the extensive damage, including both public and private structures and buildings, which has yet to be quantified. From Valcamonica to Bassa, but in this round Benaco was definitely the worst. Here, in fact, torrential rain hit lower Garda, concentrated above all in the municipalities of San Felice del Benaco and Manerba, and the Salò area, where the Gardesana was closed as a precaution due to a landslide.
There were more than 150 interventions by the firefighterscalled to intervene on different fronts: the canals leading down to the lake were all swollen with water and some could not hold, just as numerous manholes could not hold, with the consequence that an almost infinite series of roads became a river in flood .
San Felice
Here, along Via San Procolo, the retaining wall of a house collapsed: due to the debris on the roadway it was necessary to close the road, which is the one that connects Raffa di Puegnago to the town and arrives in the Carmine area. The firefighters were immediately alerted and immediately set to work to free her.
«Today’s events demonstrate that ours is a fragile territory, which requires particular attention – these are the words of the mayor of San Felice, Lorenza Baccolo, speaking to Teletutto -. We, as an Administration, thanks to the work of Civil Protection, Fire Brigade and law enforcement, managed to coordinate the operations in time. The main difficulties are linked to the cleaning of waterways: we must implement all those functional operations to avoid this type of situation. Disservices that also penalize us with regards to the tourist season: for this very reason, starting tomorrow (today, ed.) we should take action to resolve the critical issues that limit access to the facilities”.
Manerba
In the neighboring town, however, in the early afternoon a lady got stuck in her old Panda along via della Valle: the water reached the doors and the intervention of a passer-by was providential, helping her get out and reach safety.
Also in Manerba, in the Romantica area, the municipal administration ordered the clearing of three campsites, the Rolli campsite, the Baia Verde and the Rio Feriengluck because water was now everywhere.
The square and the entire area of the nearby Torchio port were also invaded (five people were evacuated by the fire brigade in via del Rio), as were the courtyards and gardens of the residences overlooking the Torchio-Romantica promenade. For tourists, a few hundred people mostly from Northern Europe, who needed it, the Municipality made the sports hall available.
Flooding
The areas most affected, it was said, those overlooking the gulf area were in Manerba, but also more internal roads. Some examples from the reports received: flooding was recorded in via Carere, in via Leutelmonte, in via Noveglie and in Perlino, as well as in Torchio, where at certain moments the water reached the doors of parked cars.
In San Felice, however, particularly the aforementioned Carmine area was hit: via San Procolo closed in the direction of Raffa, on the other side flooding towards Manerba. Then via degli Alpini, via San Fermo, here too the entire port area including via Rio Verde, where the water in the outdoor area of the pizzeria of the same name reached almost the height of the chair seats.
Gardesana
Due to a landslide that occurred above Salò, the Gardesana state road 45 bis was closed in the stretch between the junction with via di Seminario and the one with the road leading to the hamlet of Renzano, and traffic was diverted towards the center of the town. Initially it was thought it would be possible to reopen the road in alternate directions, but following the inspection carried out by Anas technicians, with the support of the local police, it was decided to keep the state road closed as a precaution. The goal is to reopen it as early as this morning.
Also yesterday, via Panoramica was also closed, which from Gardesana leads to Serniga and San Bartolomeo, hilly hamlets of Saló, and some roads also to Gardone.
