Google Discover
Preferred Sources
A near tragedy due to a pure and fortunate coincidence, but also yet another chronicle of an announced disaster. This morning, in the Santa Maria area in the municipality of San Lorenzo, a motorist found the asphalt literally crumbling under his wheels.
The car fell into the sudden chasm that opened also due to the bad weather that has been devastating the Grecanica area for days. The man was promptly rescued and transported to hospital: from initial information he did not suffer serious injuries, but the toll could have been much more dramatic.
The Carabinieri are operating tirelessly on site, racing against time to manage an emergency that has brought local traffic to its knees.
Isolation and anger
The failure did not just overwhelm one car: it swept away the only vital connection artery between Roccaforte del Greco and the sea coast. Entire communities now find themselves totally isolated. A dramatic situation that has exploded the anger of Sandro Polimeni, mayor of San Lorenzo, who points the finger at years of institutional abandonment: “As Mayor, but even before that as a man deeply linked to this land, I cannot and do not want to hide my anger. What we see today is the result of years of neglect, lack of maintenance and the fragility of the territory which has been neglected for too long. How many times must we risk dying before the safety of our roads becomes a priority?”
The legacy of Cyclone Harry
The problems don’t arise today. The critical issues of the infrastructure had been reported on several occasions, recently exacerbated by the devastating passage of Cyclone Harry. Nonetheless, the local alarms remained unheeded and the solutions postponed to occasional and stopgap interventions which today show all their ineffectiveness. Now the mayor is calling for immediate resources and structural interventions from the Region and the central Government, shouting the alarm for the entire valley: “We cannot be condemned to isolation. We must not wait to count the deaths to intervene. Our communities have the right to safety, mobility, dignity.”
The appeal to the population: “Don’t leave your house”
While the earth continues to give way under the weight of the water, the alarm for new landslides remains very high. The mayor made an urgent appeal to the entire population: “Stay at home and move only for absolute and undeferrable needs. Avoid sections at risk and stay away from damaged roads, unstable slopes and areas affected by landslides”. The priority of the moment remains public safety, but the unknown future and the wait for concrete answers now weigh on the Grecanica area. “Now we need the facts” concludes Polimeni.
The mayor of Rocca Forte del Greco: “Recognize the state of calamity”
“Provincial road 23 – adds the mayor of Rocca Forte del Greco – is the main connection between Roccaforte del Greco, San Lorenzo, Bagaladi and Melito di Porto Salvo, resulting in the substantial isolation of the Aspromonte centre. The critical issues of the SP23 had already emerged in the previous days, when the quick reflexes of the driver of a bus had allowed a potentially serious accident to be avoided. The alternative road system through San Pantaleone also presents considerable travel difficulties”.
Mayor Ercole Nucera expresses strong concern about the consequences on the population, in particular on the elderly and people in need of healthcare. The absence of a pharmacy, the limited availability of medical services and the difficulties in supplying food further aggravate the emergency. The majority group leader Carmelo Pitasi also highlights that the alternative road of San Pantaleone does not allow the transit of public transport buses, with further repercussions on the mobility of residents.
Nucera makes a formal and urgent appeal to the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria, the Calabria Region, the Prefecture and the competent bodies, asking for the timely restoration of connections in safe conditions, the guarantee of essential services and the activation of procedures for the recognition of the state of natural disaster, following verification of the regulatory requirements.
It also calls for a program of structural interventions for the safety of the SP23 and the prevention of hydrogeological risk, through institutional coordination that defines priorities, responsibilities and implementation times. The safety of citizens, the protection of the most vulnerable people and the continuity of essential services represent mandatory priorities to guarantee liveability and a future for the community of Roccaforte del Greco.