On October 1, for Messina, it is not a day like the others. It is a wound that does not take up, and that recalls, with even more strength, how important the prevention of hydrogeological risk and the knowledge of the dangers of floods are.
Also for this reason, the Municipality has promoted a conference entitled “Extreme weather events: weather forecast and climatic analysis, from the national scale to the local context”, scheduled for 9.30 to 16.30 in the Flag Salone of Palazzo Zanca.
The initiative, organized by the municipal administration under the patronage of the Regional Department of Civil Protection, of Messinaservizi Bene Comune, Ispra, CNR – ISAC, 3BMETEO, ITALYMETEO and Air Force, will bring together local and regional authorities, together with experts and representatives of entities and institutions engaged in scientific research on weather forecasts, on the climate analysis and on the impacts of climate change.
The participants will welcome the mayor Federico Basile, the commissioner for civil protection Massimiliano Minutoli, the general manager Salvo Puccio and the president of Messinaservizi Bene Comune Mariagrazia Interdonato.
The day will also have a strong symbolic and commemorative value, sixteen years after the tragic flood of 2009, which devastated Giampilieri, Scaletta, Altoolia, Molino, Pezzolo, Schiavo Ponte and Briga Marina, causing the death of 37 people.
The program will end with a round table dedicated to the “consequent risks to climate change and risk management wind of urban trees”, which will participate in the agronomist Massimo Tirone of Seacop, a company specialized in surveys and instrumental analyzes on trees.
The mayor Basile underlined the value of the initiative: “Moments of comparison such as the one scheduled tomorrow in the Flag Motor Show allow us to always keep in mind what happened and at the same time be ready and updated in the face of extreme weather events that are now frequent”.
A reference to memory, but also to operational concreteness, came from the commissioner Minutoli, who recalled the progress of the municipal civil protection: “From 2018 to today the service has made progress to update itself and be able to face situations such as the tragic flood of 2009. Training is one of our strengths because it allows us to have staff always prepared and in step with extreme situations. At the same time they require us to prevent consequential risks “.
In recent years, added Minutoli, the Municipality has strengthened its structure with the multifunctional Civil Protection Center, the mobile column in collaboration with Anci and the group of Civil Protection volunteers. Tools made possible also thanks to the creation and approval of the municipal civil protection plan, which allows Messina to be ready to intervene “in the front line” in case of need.