An Apennines devastated by heavy rainfall which occurred particularly in the late afternoon. Problems everywhere including landslides, displaced people, floods and collapsed bridges. And a huge job by the police and rescue forces.
MOUNTAIN
Maximum attention in Vezzano, where in the Bettola area the Crostolo stream overflowed between Vezzano and Puianello, after the watercourse had recorded a notable drop in level at the Piuianello hydrometer. But between 4.30 pm and 6.30 pm there was a very rapid increase in the altitude of the stream, which quickly went from 1.10 meters to almost four metres. A situation that has not been seen for a long time, particularly in the Crostolo, a usually “quiet” watercourse. Also in Vezzano, the Sp 11 in Pecorile was closed due to a landslide. There are no isolated homes in that area. In Carpineti, traffic disruptions due to the closure of the Sp 7 to Monte Faraone, of the Marola-Felina municipal road in the Carbonia area, in the Castello area, a stretch of the Sp 98 to Viano (at km 6), without isolated homes. Due to a collapsed bridge, in Molino Varoni, however, a house was isolated. The mayor of Carpineti, Giuseppe Ruggi: “We are evaluating the request of the State of calamity”. Carpineti saw more than double the amount of rainfall that falls in 24 hours on average in a rainy month like October: 172 mm of rain. “A very serious situation with many closed roads that we are trying to reopen. The Municipality of Carpineti is devastated.” Both the Tresinaro and Secchia valleys were affected (in Costalta the landslide was over 50 metres, in Valestra the Via Verabolense and an isolated house were destroyed), yesterday work was done to free a house. Flooding in Colombaia. A bridge blown in Velluciana, critical issues in Ceriola, Savognatica, Santa Caterina. The provincial road to Castello as well as to Dorgola has been interrupted. Affected Carbonia, San Donnino, Romagnano with other landslides. “Among others at work are the former mayor Tiziano Borghi, a volunteer, and the former councilor Gianfranco Campani. We will consult with the other mayors and evaluate the request for a state of calamity, immediately identifying the numerous damages”. There is no shortage of problems in Castelnovo Monti: in Coriano thirty homes affected by flooding on the lower floors with residents made safe on the upper floors, roads closed due to landslides in Maillo and Ottosalici with some homes isolated.
Yesterday “we surveyed 35 situations with damage ranging from floods, as in Gatta due to the Spirola stream, to landslides, interruptions of traffic, requests for transfer to upper floors addressed to some families, isolation of homes in Ottosalici and Montecastagneto”, the words of the mayor Emanuele Ferrari. A situation “really very difficult because from the early afternoon it started raining intensely again”.
About ten isolated homes in Lupazzo di Toano, with civil protection on site. Roads closed, but without isolated houses, in Ponte Secchia di Baiso, Cerezzola di Canossa, Pecorile and Case Martini-Votigno. At Villa Minozzo the Gatta-Pianello closed as a precaution. Problems were recorded in the downstream part of the Secchia, affecting the towns of Sologno, Poiano, Carù, upstream the towns of Morsiano, Romanoro and Frassinoro and the road that connects Frassinoro to Modena due to the collapse of the bridge over the Dolo. In the Apennines the COCs have been activated, the municipal operational centers in Villa Minozzo, Carpineti, Toano, Baiso, Vezzano, Vetto and Castelnovo Monti.
Heavy damage also in La Brugna: the hamlet of Casina was completely invaded by water yesterday with flooded houses. The situation is also critical in Vezzano where landslides occurred between Pecorile and Sedrio, the bridge of via Lupo on the Crostolo (near Pinetina) was closed to cars, the state road was submerged by water in several sections, heavy damage in Pecorile where the Campola overflowed. Fear yesterday in La Vecchia due to the exceptional swelling of the Crostolo; also in La Vecchia partial collapse of the retaining wall of the parish sports field of La Vecchia.
LOW
Even downstream we are paying attention to the effects of bad weather, with the COCs open in Guastalla, Gualtieri, Cadelbosco Sopra, Castelnovo Sotto and Poviglio, in particular due to the “tantrums” of the Crostolo and Enza streams. The Po river, which began to rise in level already in the early hours of Sunday, yesterday evening was around four meters at the AiPo hydrometer in Boretto, but for now remains below the warning level. In the Lower area, cycle and pedestrian crossings near Enza, Crostolo and the Po are closed for precautionary reasons. The bridge over the former Cisa state road, between Brescello and Sorbolo Mezzani, remained closed all day yesterday. Around four o’clock last night, when the level of the Enza reached 11 metres, the road and railway bridge was automatically closed. At 1.15pm the Enza reached 11.82 metres, and then began a slow descent. But even when the altitude returned to below 11 metres, it was decided to wait to reopen the Sorbolo bridge, waiting to verify the progress of the torrent fed by the new evening rainfall. In fact, the Enza in the Currada area also flooded yesterday afternoon, a situation which then returned in the evening together with that of La Bettola. The Sorbolo a Levante bridge always reopens in the evening. But we were already ready to close it if it were to exceed 11 metres. EThe Crostolo in Santa Vittoria reached 6.13 meters at 2.45 pm and then began to decrease in level. For precautionary reasons, the bridge over the Crostolo between Castelnovo Sotto and Cadelbosco Sopra is closed.
Inconveniences also in Reggio, where yesterday morning the Caprette park was closed and subsequently it was decided to interrupt pedestrian and vehicular transit in the streets of Torrente, Madonna di Corticella, Aicardi, del Quaresimo (ford) and the pedestrian and cycle path of the Crostolo park , except service and emergency vehicles; permanent parking ban with forced removal, along the same roads.
CERAMICS AREA
Moments of great apprehension in Rubiera for Tresinaro. The population was alerted. “Tresinaro came within a few centimeters of a flood in an inhabited area,” said mayor Emanuele Cavallaro. The closure of the SP85 stretch between Via Fontana and the Via County intersection has been ordered due to flooding of the railway underpass. And in Scandiano “the Coc – explains the mayor Matteo Nasciuti – continues to monitor the situation in anticipation of the next few hours”. In Arceto, in via per Scandiano, the flooding of the Tresinaro was reported with flooding of the ground floor of a house, the SP467 was closed for about an hour at the intersection with via Mazzini di Scandiano and via Riva a Rondinara was closed. The Tresinaro cycle/pedestrian path, the Ca’ de’ Caroli bridge and the footbridge at Conad are also closed. The bridge over the Tresinato of the sp467 closed for removal of trunks in the riverbed below. In Casalgrande, via Franceschini is closed in the stretch between the intersection with via Case Secchia and the Corticella bridge. The connecting bridge between Veggia and Sassuolo was closed and then reopened to transit. Viano was also hit by bad weather. “The provincial road in Gargola before the Benale near the Orsato company has been reopened – reported the mayor Fabrizio Corti yesterday evening –. The heavy rains are putting the Vianese area to the test”.
Settimo Baisi, Matteo Barca, Francesca Chilloni
and Antonio Lecci
