Tuscany is dealing with the second phase of this new wave of bad weather, which has already caused numerous damages. We remind you that until 6 pm today, Friday, August 21, the orange alert is active. A rather dangerous thunderstorm front, according to forecasts, is expected between 12 and 3 pm.
Read more Weather in Tuscany, hailstorms and thunderstorms: orange alert activated – Radar update
On the damage front, in Tuscany the fire brigade teams have completed more than 200 operations, particularly between Florence, Pistoia, Lucca and Pisa, with about a hundred requests still to be completed for fallen trees and flooding. The state road 62 “della Cisa” is temporarily closed in both directions from km 19 to km 24.800, in Villafranca in Lunigiana due to flooding.
The forecasts and the radar
Tuscany remains under the influence of the Scirocco, while the weather radar signals a new thunderstorm cell approaching from west to east. According to the Lam model projections, the incoming front could be the most intense of the day, with locally strong phenomena. The front, as explained by the Tuscany Weather Center, should be accompanied by the entry of very intense Libeccio gusts, which locally could reach or even exceed 100 km/h. The real-time situation is shown in the radar below.
Thousands of lightning strikes and damages
From 11 am to 11 pm on Thursday, August 20, Lamma reports that over 23,000 lightning strikes were recorded in Tuscany, of which more than 8,000 occurred between 9 and 11 pm. In 12 hours, up to 60-70 mm accumulated in the provinces of Massa Carrara, Lucca and Grosseto, 40-50 mm in Siena, Pisa and Livorno. Regarding the wind, gusts up to 106 km/h were recorded on the Pisa coast, 103 km/h in the province of Florence, 93 km/h on Gorgona, 92 km/h in Viareggio and 86 km/h in Arezzo.
Due to the strong wind gusts, there were numerous interventions by the fire brigade for fallen trees and large branches. In Viareggio, on Zanardelli street, a tree fell on parked cars but there were no injuries. In Empoli, a large tree fell on the Ss 67 Tosco Romagnola, also without causing injuries.
Along the Florence-Pisa-Livorno major road, disruptions were reported in the Empolese stretch and between Pontedera and Ponsacco towards the sea due to heavy rain, wind and branches on the roadway.
In Pescia, part of the stadium wall collapsed. In Pisa, fire brigade interventions were carried out for dangerous objects, plaster and tiles. Roofs were uncovered in the municipality of Pontedera.
In the Pistoia area, damages were recorded to homes, businesses and public buildings in Larciano, fallen trees and traffic problems between Quarrata, Serravalle Pistoiese and Montecatini Terme, and the collapse of part of the fence of the municipal stadium of Pescia.
Interventions were also necessary in the Prato area, Empolese, Lunigiana, Pisa and Livorno areas, mainly for fallen trees, flooding, landslides and electrical network problems.
A particularly significant intervention took place in Grosseto, in the Stiacciole area, where a tornado uncovered the roof of a building: fire brigade teams have been working since the early hours of the night to remove broken and dangerous tiles and secure the roof, subsequently arranging a temporary cover to prevent water infiltration.
Also in Grosseto, the bad weather caused damage to the Chelliana municipal library in Grosseto, in the historic center, via Mazzini. The fire brigade intervened in the middle of the night by breaking a glass door to enter. Inside, the automatic fire extinguishers had already activated and there was a small fire, which was practically extinguished at the start. This morning, Friday, August 21, technicians, administration, and restoration companies inspected the site to restore systems currently out of order. The municipal library will remain closed for a few days. “The system worked properly and the worst damages were avoided,” specifies the culture councilor Luca Agresti.
There have been 45 interventions in the province of Florence since the beginning of adverse weather conditions, including the fall of a tree in the municipality of Florence on Viale Giacomo Matteotti that landed on the tramway power line, requiring service interruption and power shutdown by Gest for the removal of the tree, also using a cherry picker. A car and three mopeds were also damaged in the incident.
During various interventions, a firefighter suffered trauma after falling from a height: hospital transport was necessary.
The Region: «Zero risk does not exist»
«The Tuscany Region is at the forefront in facing the bad weather wave in close coordination with Prefectures, Provinces, Municipalities and all components of the regional Civil Protection system,» declares the president Eugenio Giani. «We have convened the regional crisis unit and the goal in these hours is to complete safety interventions, restore full functionality of roads and essential services, and support local authorities in managing the still present criticalities. Monitoring will continue throughout the day, with particular attention to the areas most affected by the bad weather.»
«The Region is here, the system is fully operational and we will continue to work tirelessly,» says the undersecretary to the Presidency Bernard Dika. «It was a very difficult night: over 21 thousand lightning strikes, violent gusts, fallen trees, road closures, uncovered roofs, photovoltaic panels blown away and about 6 thousand electrical users affected and being resolved. Wind gusts at 110 kilometers per hour are not stopped by a public work. However, we can limit the consequences by controlling trees and roofs, doing maintenance and prevention, public and private together. And then there is the responsibility of each of us. Because in the face of such violent phenomena zero risk does not exist and, during an alert, even cautious behavior can prevent a tragedy. For this reason, in the next hours of bad weather it is necessary to maintain maximum attention. The priority is to protect people.»
«Over 200 volunteers of the regional Civil Protection system are on the field these hours. On behalf of Tuscany, we want to thank them: they are in the territories, alongside people, to intervene and secure our communities. Along with them, our thanks go to the Fire Brigade, Law Enforcement, technicians, administrators and local authority staff who worked during the night and continue to do so. Thanks also to the essential service managers, tirelessly engaged in restoring roads, energy and services and addressing many critical issues. In moments like this, Tuscany shows what it means to be a community: everyone does their part and no one is left alone,» conclude Eugenio Giani and Bernard Dika.
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