Veneto, Friuli and Trentino hit by severe weather as never before. Woods, homes and roads destroyed, while landslides and torrents have changed the face of these valleys.
A few rays of sunshine appeared this morning. At least here on the plain, at the foot of those peaks you can make out when the sky is clear and clean. From a distance they always look the same — same silhouettes, same colours. But they are no longer. Cadore, Agordino, Feltrino, Asolano, the Val di Fiemme, the Val di Fassa, the Asiago Plateau. An entire geographical area that will never be the same again, after the night between last Monday and Tuesday. According to initial estimates, we are talking about a geographical area of 5,000 square kilometres swept by winds that reached speeds of up to 190 km/h, flattening entire forests in some areas, "as if they were a game of Mikado," as some have put it.
Guarda le foto dell'altopiano di Asiago reso irriconoscibile dal maltempo
It is the Belluno area in particular that has been hardest hit. There is no water, no electricity, no diesel. Only those with a generator have any power. In short, basic services are non-existent. Cristina Da Rold has gathered several testimonies and writes on Oggi Scienza "that the voice of the Piave had not been heard like that since the strange awakening of 10 October 1963. There were no social networks, and 15 km from Longarone, at dawn, almost no one knew what had happened the previous evening on the Vajont, or what that strange, noisy flood meant. Then that strange, unnatural darkness, like that of 55 years ago. This new wave at Longarone also swept away the 'Holm Oak of Malcom', known for having withstood — as the sole surviving plant — that other wave, the wave of death." A disaster.
Today's images show how the Comelico dam has been literally invaded by thousands of tree trunks. The Corriere delle Alpi reports that the Tessina landslide at Lamosano has "started moving again. One or two million cubic metres of earth, rock and trees above Lamosano and Funes have shifted. (…) The Tessina landslide is the largest active landslide in Europe, with its 4 million cubic metres in motion."
These are the words of mayor Andrea De Bernardin, mayor of Rocca Pietore, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, who describes the devastation: "Like an earthquake. I have buildings buried, roads cut off, forests gone, landslides, enormous boulders that came down from the mountain and were carried into the village by the fury of the water, no phone connection, no water, no electricity — I am doing everything I can to make my voice, our voice, heard," he said in a phone call published on social media, going on to explain how "Rocca Pietore has been struck by a violent storm the likes of which no one can remember, causing incalculable damage, greater than that of the 1966 flood. What astonishes me is that no one is talking about it — but that may be because we are cut off. There are no phones, no internet, no water." Here there was once a magnificent gorge, the Serrai di Sottoguda, a historic path that led all the way to the foot of the Marmolada. Today it is gone.
In Asiago "it appears that 300,000 — based on estimates made following the first inspections — is the number of trees felled or snapped by the fury of the storm that struck the Asiago Plateau on Monday 29 October 2018," reads the municipality's official website. "Damage comparable to that caused by the Great War. From the Piana di Marcesina to the Val d'Assa, the face of the plateau's forests has changed completely; the severe weather has left behind devastation and truly incalculable damage to the ecosystem."
In the Val di Fiemme, thousands of Norway spruces — also used to make the famous violins — have been swept away. They fell like matchsticks. According to forestry agronomists, the entire area could begin to recover in forty years, while it will take 200 years to produce timber good enough for violins. We certainly will not live to see it.
On Friday, the Veneto Region launched a fundraising campaign "to tackle the devastation caused by the wave of severe weather that struck Veneto, and to build up financial resources to be used in aid of the affected populations (…) the Region has also set up a bank account where anyone who wishes to do so can make a contribution." "I hope," said Zaia, "that this bank account can receive the widest possible publicity and that, as always, it will meet with the great generosity of the people."
Intesa Sanpaolo, in a statement, "confirms its willingness to intervene financially with a credit facility of 1 billion euros, of which 270 million are earmarked for the north-east regions, and to suspend for 12 months the repayment instalments on existing loans for families and businesses in the affected geographical areas," while Enel "plans to pay automatic compensation — for which no application therefore needs to be submitted — directly on the electricity bill." In the meantime, the sky appears to be clouding over once more.
