The bad weather that hit Sardinia, Sicily and Calabria caused no victims or injuries, despite the very heavy impact on the territories. A figure which, according to the head of the Civil Protection Department Fabio Ciciliano, “highlights the good functioning of territorial protection systems”.
Ciciliano underlined this while speaking on Rainews, explaining however that, as these are areas with a very high tourist vocation, “it is necessary to act quickly and do well” to ensure safety and restore normal conditions.
Inspection in Calabria
The head of the Civil Protection arrives today, Thursday 22 January, in Catanzaro for an inspection after the exceptional wave of bad weather: from the Teti area he will move to visit the areas most affected by the storms. At the end, the press point at the Hotel Perla del Porto, in the presence of the prefect of Catanzaro Castrese De Rosa, the regional councilor for the environment Antonio Montuoro and the mayor Nicola Fiorita.
Musumeci in Sicily
In the afternoon, the Minister for Civil Protection and Maritime Policies Nello Musumeci, accompanied by Ciciliano, visited Sicily to verify the damage caused by Cyclone Harry.
“We will meet the council of ministers next week, after a brief instruction from the department I will propose and report to the Council of Ministers the request for the declaration of a state of national emergency” said Musumeci in Santa Teresa Riva, one of the municipalities in the province of Messina among the most affected by the fury of cyclone Harry. The minister made an inspection of the seafront destroyed for a long stretch by the storms. “The request – he added – is also accompanied by the resolution of a first resource which allows the bodies local authorities to be able to carry out initial interventions, remove debris, obstacles, restore roads and essential services”.
«Mayors must not be afraid to spend»
During an inspection of the Poetto beach, devastated by the cyclone, Ciciliano emphasized the need to support the Municipalities: «Beyond quantifying the damage, which is very large, the most important thing is to give the mayors the peace of mind of being able to use the funds for emergencies».
«In some cases – he added – the damages exceed municipal budgets. We must prevent mayors from being afraid to spend for fear of making off-balance sheet debts.”
According to the head of Civil Protection, this is a fundamental step to guarantee an immediate response: «This gives us the possibility to intervene immediately in real emergencies. The overall economic quantification will come later, for a restoration that is as complete as possible, even if we know that certain effects cannot be erased.”