61 years have passed since the Vajont disaster. A tragedy that shocked the whole of Italy. On October 9th a huge landslide broke away from Mount Toc, falling into the waters of the Vajont dam. The fall caused an overflow wave which during the night completely destroyed the villages of Longarone, Rivalta, Pirago, Villanova, Faè, Erto, Casso and Castellavazzo.
The Vajont tragedy: 2,500 dead
Only piles of rubble and mud remained under which 2,500 people died. Within hours volunteers, firefighters and army personnel arrived at the disaster sites. Among them also a young firefighter from Piacenza. His name is Roberto Porcari and today, in the Strada Val Nure barracks, he received a plaque of merit for “having worked with an indomitable spirit of sacrifice, self-denial, generosity and admirable human sensitivity, offering his own contribution in the work of helping the populations affected.”
“I entrusted myself to the Lord”
“I remember the many deaths that we had the task of recovering – the words of Porcari, a retired firefighter who was only twenty years old at the time of the Vajont disaster -. It was impossible to be prepared for a tragedy of this caliber. I entrusted myself to the Lord.” Roberto Porcari was presented with the certificate by the commander of the Piacenza fire brigade Pier Nicola Dadone. “A ceremony that highlights the mental and physical effort of firefighters during extremely demanding operations – the commander’s comment -. It is important to remember these interventions and these tragedies because they are part of the history of our country and therefore of the history of the firefighters.”
“The Vajont tragedy was the first great tragedy announced where private interests prevailed over the safety and life of entire communities – the conclusion of Marco Simoni, president of the retired firefighters association of Piacenza -. We applaud the performance of our firefighter and the hundreds of soldiers and volunteers who had to descend into a valley where death won over life.”
