His passion for quads catapulted him into the midst of the flood emergency. And since then the (personal) activity has become group activity: transforming into something emergency and becoming something structured, to do good even outside of the flood.
“The memories I have of those days are of a devastated area and of many frightened people.” Thomas Boschi, from Cesena and a quad enthusiast, from the first hours after the flood that devastated Romagna was able, thanks to him, to move in places that not everyone could reach. Between flowing water, mud and landslides, he found himself immersed in a huge emergency that was difficult to forget.
«In the very first hours after the Savio flooded – he says – I was going around with the quad in the rain which was still pouring. And I also went far from Cesena: the Hippodrome area was not passable and in any case even with the help of dinghies and small boats it was already full of people who were getting busy. I still have the most vivid memories of the affected area in my eyes and they mainly concern the Modigliana and Montecastello areas.”
Almost no one in the mountains
Piles of mud, flowing water, landslides cutting off the roads: «There was almost no one around in the mountains, and I used the fire trails together with the firefighters. But in some sections even those were impassable despite the fact that I was moving with a four-wheeler capable of scaling and scrambling just about everywhere. There were many houses that seemed cut off from any connection. The people I met were barricaded inside. They were all fine but they were shaken…A lot…And scared. Both in Modigliana and Montecastello and in the stretch between Borello and Mercato Saraceno the older people all told me straight away that something like this hadn’t been seen for over 80 years…”.
And the needs emerged immediately: «The first 4 days of the flood were spent constantly going back and forth to bring food and medicine to those who needed them and, in the case of older people, also to make sure they were taking them correctly. the medicines they had requested and obtained. Another area that was quite marked in those hours, and full of people who remained isolated, was the one around Santa Sofia. In general, almost always in the rain, in the first 4 days there was never a moment’s stop for the engine of my quad.”
Friends with the quad
A situation and a rescue activity that has spread like wildfire and over time has involved many people: «The group of friends “Extreme Quad Riders” who share the passion for quad biking with me soon expanded. And when the huge emergency was over we organized ourselves to be able to hold public events, in which we let children try quads or give everyone the opportunity to learn about and try these vehicles. The first few times the proceeds always went to the needs of the most heavily affected flood victims. But a year later we are founding a real association, of which I am president. And the panorama of aid we distribute is broadening from the flood to the needs related to disabled people, especially the younger ones.”
