Italy declares emergency in southern regions after Cyclone Harry devastation
Italy declared a state of emergency on Monday following widespread damage caused last week by Cyclone Harry across the regions of Calabria, Sicily and Sardinia.
The storm also triggered a major landslide in the Sicilian town of Niscemi, displacing at least 1,500 residents and severely disrupting daily life, officials said, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Minister for Civil Protection Nello Musumeci said authorities have expanded the precautionary safety buffer zone around the landslide in Niscemi from 100 to 150 meters (328 to 492 feet) as the mass continues to move toward the town center. According to Rai News, the landslide front now extends for more than four kilometers (2.5 miles).
Musumeci confirmed that the number of people displaced by the landslide has risen to 1,500.
Fabio Ciciliano, head of Italy’s Civil Protection Department, warned that the landslide remains active and said the number of evacuees could increase further.
“The number of evacuees in Niscemi is increasing because the landslide isn’t stopped, so as the landslide continues to enter the town, it becomes increasingly important to increase the number of evacuees,” he said.
According to the ANSA news agency, the Italian government has allocated €100 million ($118.7 million) from the national emergency fund for initial interventions in Calabria, Sicily and Sardinia. A one-year state of emergency has been declared in the three regions following the severe weather linked to Cyclone Harry.
The funds will be used for debris removal, restoration of essential services and immediate assistance to residents affected by the storm and landslides.
Earlier on Monday, the Civil Protection Department said the ordinary alert, known as the yellow code, was extended through January 27 in Veneto, Sardinia, Campania, Calabria and Sicily after a deep low-pressure system moved across the central-western Mediterranean.
In Niscemi, two major landslides occurred within a matter of days, primarily due to intense and persistent rainfall. The affected area now stretches roughly four kilometers and is estimated to reach depths of up to six meters (20 feet).
“The situation continues to worsen,” Niscemi Mayor Massimiliano Conti said, describing conditions as “dramatic.”
He said further collapses were recorded overnight, including a vertical cut in the terrain measuring about 25 meters (82 feet).
Local authorities have closed several roads and schools at all levels in Niscemi, a town with a population of approximately 25,000.
In northern Italy, a separate landslide struck the Via Aurelia coastal road between Arenzano and Genoa on Monday evening. The collapse involved a hillside near the Pizzo tunnel, sending rocks and debris across both lanes of traffic.
Firefighters conducted overnight searches for possible victims, deploying canine units to check whether anyone was trapped beneath the debris. No casualties have been reported so far.
In Sardinia, officials extended the storm alert for another 24 hours, warning that heavy rainfall and hydrogeological risks are likely to persist as the severe weather system continues to affect the region.
By Nijat Babayev
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