Niscemi, Sicily, this Monday
Niscemi residents permanently relocated. State of emergency in Sicily, Sardinia and Calabria.
A landslide triggered by a huge storm left several houses in the Sicilian town of Niscemi almost falling onto a highly unstable slope.
The situation, which led Italy to declare a state of emergency in southern regions, forced the evacuation of more than 1,500 peopleaccording to the head of Italian Civil Protection cited by this Tuesday.
Niscemi, with around 25,000 inhabitants, sits on a plateau in south-central Sicily that, according to authorities, is gradually collapsing towards the plain. In recent days, many segments of the slope have given way and left several buildings frighteningly close, literally, to the abyss, in some cases, literally suspended above the rupture line.
A car was immobilized with its front part already projected into the ravine: it was a sign of how quickly the terrain opened up.
“There are houses on the edge of the landslide that are uninhabitable“, said the head of Civil Defense, Fabio Ciciliano, to journalists in the region.
The leader said that residents of the most affected areas will be permanently relocated.
“Once the water drains and the moving part stops or slows down, a more accurate assessment can be made. The landslide is still active,” he added.
It all happened after an episode of very bad weather that hit southern Italy last week. On Monday, the Government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni declared the state of emergency for Sicily, Sardinia and Calabria.
The executive set aside 100 million euros to respond to initial needs in the hardest hit areas. Still, local authorities estimate losses exceeding one billion eurosafter strong winds and sea disturbances pushed the sea onto land.
In Niscemi, the sudden evacuation fueled anxiety and outrage.
“They told me I have to leave, even though nothing (collapsed) in or under the house,” said Francesco Zarba. “We had the first landslide 30 years ago and nobody did anything.”
