Bad weather: 190 call-outs in Lombardy. Flooding at Malpensa
Heavy rain and flooding have taken their toll on Lombardy and Tuscany. According to The Guardian, 35,000 deaths were recorded across Europe due to the summer heatwave
Varese is the Lombardy province hardest hit by the spell of bad weather, with over a hundred call-outs for the fire service. Since yesterday evening, there have been over 190 call-outs carried out or still underway in Lombardy, mainly due to trees and branches that are unstable or have fallen onto the road, water damage, structural instability and the removal of objects rendered hazardous by the strong wind.
The alert in Lombardy
After Varese, the provinces most affected are Como, with around 35 operations, and Milan, with around 30. Operations were also carried out in the provinces of Lecco, Monza and Brianza, Lodi, Brescia, Pavia, Sondrio, Mantua, Cremona and Bergamo. To cope with the high volume of requests, five additional teams were dispatched from Milan and Monza and Brianza: three from the Milan command centre and two from the Monza and Brianza command centre. “Most of the call-outs involved fallen or unstable trees, which in some cases had landed on roads, cars, homes and power lines, as well as damaged roofs and flooding,” the fire service reported. In Busto Arsizio, a tree fell onto a car on Viale Trentino, without causing any injuries. Numerous cellars were flooded and there were traffic disruptions. In Gorla Maggiore, a tornado uprooted several trees and ripped the roof off a house, which was carried by the wind for around 50 metres. The Civil Protection Agency, which worked through the night, is continuing to assess the damage. Problems were also reported in Ferno, where trees and debris blocked some roads, temporarily halting traffic. Malpensa Airport was severely affected during the worst of the storm. Flooding affected the runways and some areas of the terminal, but the situation was subsequently resolved. Yesterday evening, a number of arriving and departing flights were cancelled.
The situation in Tuscany
The bad weather has also hit Tuscany. Since last night, the fire service has carried out dozens of call-outs due to flooding and fallen or unstable trees. The most serious incidents were concentrated in the Grosseto area, where, from 2 am, teams from the headquarters and the Follonica and Arcidosso stations carried out around 25 operations in the municipalities of Gavorrano, Scansano and Montieri, and in the Giuncarico area. In Gavorrano, a tree fell onto the northbound carriageway of the Aurelia state road, forcing the traffic police to temporarily close the road to allow the tree to be removed and the area made safe. In the Grosseto area, 15 firefighters with seven vehicles were on duty throughout the night. Operations are also underway in the Livorno area: since this morning, just over ten have been carried out, mainly in the areas of Cecina and Livorno.
The unseasonably hot weather
According to incomplete data covering just under half of the European continent, this summer, during the four record-breaking heatwaves that hit Europe, “at least 35,000 more people died than would normally have been expected”. This is the estimate put forward by *The Guardian*, which analysed the data made available. “Excess deaths in three of the EU’s largest countries – Germany, France and Spain – have already exceeded 25,000, according to provisional national data, and experts say the death toll will rise significantly once the figures for August have been finalised,”.
