The mayor of Cassano allo Ionio, Giampaolo Iacobini, has launched a heartfelt appeal to the residents of the Lattughelle district and the Piano Scafo district to move away from their homes due to the risk of further flooding of the Crati river. Already, in recent days, many families living in those areas have been evacuated because due to bad weather the Crati flooded in at least five places.
Last night, on the social pages of the Municipality of Cassano, the mayor published a video addressing his fellow citizens who live in those areas. Late in the evening, the mayor signed an evacuation order and invited citizens who live on the ground or basement floors to “take shelter on the upper floors” or to go to friends, family or to the accommodation facilities made available, whose accommodation will be paid for by the Municipality. The “difficult” decision regarding the evacuation order was taken at the end of a summit in which the Civil Protection and Arpacal also participated. The risk – the mayor specified – is that the flood wave expected this night could cause “damage to already weakened embankments”. Near the Church, in Lattughelle, a meeting point has been set up where the evacuated citizens will be registered and transferred by buses made available by the Municipality to the accommodation facilities. The mayor addressed a message, in particular, to citizens who have walking problems to contact the Municipality’s emergency numbers to obtain assistance in moving. The inspection by the head of the Civil Protection Fabio Ciciliano was scheduled for today in these areas, but due to the worsening of the weather conditions expected for tomorrow, it was probably postponed until Friday.
“Worrying data that must lead everyone to be cautious,” Mayor Giampaolo Iacobini said in a video posted on the Facebook page of the Municipality of Cassano allo Ionio. A technical meeting on the situation in the Lettuce and Lakes of Sibari area concluded in the afternoon.
The mayor informed citizens that, in the Lattughelle area, the technicians «managed to mend the tears along the embankments. But, nevertheless – added Iacobini – the situation remains worrying because the rest of the embankments are fragile”. For this reason and as a precaution, the municipal administration has extended the partial eviction order.
“Once again – said the mayor – I ask the residents in those areas for maximum collaboration: leave the houses located on the first floors and take shelter on the upper floors or in friends’ houses or in those made available by the Municipality”.
The mayor is worried because a new flood of the Crati is expected in the next few hours. The closure of the schools in the Lattughelle district has also been ordered. «There is another bitter front – he added – which is that of the Sibari Lakes area. Even on the embankments that protect the Sibari Lakes there are technicians at work, but it is not simple. But now the water level there has risen and it was necessary to interrupt the work of the technicians also to protect their safety.”