Rain, wind, tornadoes and tornadoes. Saturday in Genoa was a mix of damage and fear and today could be even worse. Bad weather has hit the Ligurian capital, hit for the umpteenth time, also by the famous rainburst, a meteorological phenomenon that produced very strong winds and affected the western part of the city yesterday. It was a breathless afternoon when three unwary young climbers were reported missing in Piani di Praglia, inland. The children were later discovered: their phones were dead and they returned home independently, despite warnings and intervention from firefighters.
The day was difficult due to disruption and damage especially at Ponente. In Prà, a tornado caused several containers to fall in the Vte port area, without causing any casualties. Damage also occurred at Sestri Ponente, with inconvenience at the airport where winds opened up warehouses and some flights were diverted for safety reasons. However, the most complicated situation occurred for the Pegli delegation, hit by a downturn and split in two due to bad weather. A lorry overturned on the A10 motorway, blocking traffic for several hours, while a van overturned in the middle of a country road. No casualties were reported but the damage was extensive. On via Nicoloso da Recco a wall collapsed which also hit several parked cars and caused disruption to gas and electricity distribution services throughout the area. Several shop windows, shops and businesses were badly damaged by the strong winds, as were many cars hit by falling trees.
Damage and fear also occurred in Valpolcevera where in the afternoon heavy rainfall, almost 8 mm in just one hour, caused flooding in the Fegino stream but Polcevera was also well above the alert level and was under special supervision by the fire brigade and civil protection. Flooded underpasses, mudslides and mudslides were reported in various areas of the city with long queues and chaotic traffic on both main and regular roads. The situation is also complicated in inland areas where flooding and landslides have been reported in several locations.
But the fears are far from over. In fact, if yesterday Liguria’s alert was yellow, today it has turned orange, from 12.00 to 21.00 in most parts of Liguria. At night there was a lull, while increasingly intensive phenomena are expected to occur starting this morning. Strong and stationary thunderstorms are expected, capable of causing flooding, landslides and the rapid rise of small canals in land that is already saturated with water and therefore even more at risk of the severe weather that is expected to end tomorrow.
“I am close to all the affected citizens and I express my deepest gratitude to the Police, Fire Brigade, Civil Protection and all the services involved in the area”, said Minister of Public Administration Paolo Zangrillo, himself a native of Genoa.
