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A firefighter died during a rescue operation in the Aosta Valley. There is serious damage and missing persons in Piedmont and the Nice region.
This aerial photo shows damage after storms in the metropolis of Nice in southern France.
Photo: Valery Hache (Keystone)
Flooded villages, shattered houses, blocked roads – storms and floods have caused chaotic conditions inside the southern French tourist metropolis, Nice. According to the media, at least eight people were missing on Saturday, previously nine people had been mentioned. Among them are two members of the fire department who were on duty, the Franceinfo news channel reported, citing authorities.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex and Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin rushed to Nice to get an idea of the affected Alpes-Maritimes department. The mayor of Nice, known throughout the country, Christian Estrosi, was visibly affected: “We are facing an accident like I have never seen in the Alpes-Maritimes (department).” According to the media, the conservative politician announced that the army should be deployed in the region. About 100 houses were destroyed or damaged in the region, Estrosi said.
Eric Ciotti MEP spoke of “horror scenes”. His hometown of Saint-Martin-Vésubie in the mountains north of Nice was partially destroyed. According to the media, the town’s cemetery was uprooted.
The Var River in southern France has overflowed.
Photo: Sebastien Nogier (Keystone)
Many roads in the region with deeply cut mountain valleys were no longer passable. The villages were cut off from the outside world. Thousands of homes were without power. Flight operations at Nice airport have returned to normal, the airport announced via Twitter.
The French head of state, Emmanuel Macron, expressed his condolences to the people who were hit by the autumn storm “Alex” via Twitter. The storm had caused considerable damage in Brittany, in the north-west of the country. “Together we will pass this test,” the 42-year-old wrote.
Severe storms are not uncommon in the south of France. In the fall of last year, 14 people died. The densely urbanized Côte d’Azur was hit by strong storms exactly five years ago, 20 people died at that time. Nice and the Côte d’Azur are especially popular with tourists in the summer months, including those from Germany. However, the Corona crisis has affected tourism since spring, which is an important source of income for the region.
Firefighter dies while on duty
The situation in neighboring northern Italy was also dramatic. A volunteer firefighter from the Arnad municipality in the Aosta Valley died during a rescue operation of a fallen tree, according to the Ansa news agency. Also in other regions, such as Liguria and Piedmont, flooded rivers and fallen trees caused serious damage. Numerous people were missing according to the fire department. Many homes were without power.
In the Piedmont region of northern Italy, the authorities reported eleven people missing. Reports say a group of German hikers did not initially contact a hotelier who was supposed to pick them up at Terme di Valdieri after a multi-day tour. In Valle d’Aosta, some places were temporarily cut off from traffic after landslides and bridge damage.
There is severe storm damage in Piedmont.
Photo: Lorenzo Boratto (Keystone)
There have been hundreds of emergency operations in the Italian storm areas since Friday night. The tunnels were flooded with water and roads had to be closed. The Piedmontese province of Cuneo was particularly affected. By Saturday morning, the weather in many parts of the northwest on the French border had calmed down somewhat, he said on television.
The bad weather front also moved towards Veneto. In Venice, the new Mose flood protection system was put into operation, as Ansa wrote. The floodgates of the floodgates at the lagoon openings have been put into operation. The newly built system had been extensively tested in recent months. It is supposed to prevent serious flooding in the lagoon city.
