The 2023 final balance sheet of Sallina, for the first time since 2009, closes in the negative due to the flood. “May 17 last year is a date that will be remembered in the annals: the Salina was completely submerged due to the failure of an embankment of the Savio river in Castiglione di Cervia. From that day and in the following four, the water of the river it completely submerged, with heights even exceeding 1.7 metres, the entire sector. Once the large hole generated on the embankment had been closed, the water remained in Salina for over 40 days completely drain the fresh water”, recalls the president of the Salina Park, Giuseppe Pomicetti.
The devastation caused by the flood was complete and also affected operational vehicles, machinery, equipment and buildings, thus effectively preventing the 2023 salt campaign from proceeding. The damage estimate exceeds 7 million euros. The loss for the 2023 financial year amounts to 702 thousand euros. “Having practically contained within us the waters that escaped from the river, the Salina has played the important role of an expansion tank, effectively saving the city of Cervia – adds Pomicetti –. If on the one hand this aspect was extremely positive, on the other it was devastating for our society as the fresh water completely dissolved the salt reserves they had in the farmyard and compromised the products already packaged in the warehouses and in the Per store as regards the environmental aspect, it too has suffered extremely extensive damage.” Thanks to the intervention of the Region and the Municipality, the commissioner structure led by General Figliuolo included the Salina as a priority and made resources available, amounting to 4.9 million, which can be integrated with others, to deal with the damage.
“The local and national aid machine worked hard to help us in the most difficult moments. Together with Terme di Cervia we immediately set up the association Assieme per la Salina di Cervia, with which we collected donations of over one million and three hundred million euros. Fundamental resources to be able to survive. The lack of all the salt in the farmyard and the almost total lack of products to sell has meant that the small remaining stocks can still be sold exclusively in our shops and this has clearly created a strong damage to our 2023 turnover due to the almost total lack of white salt and seasoned salt which normally generate the majority of our turnover”. Now we look to the future, restoring everything quickly, to be able to do the 2024 harvest.
Ilaria Bedeschi
