A wave of bad weather hits the north: a woman is missing in the Alessandria area, and the Seveso River has overflowed in Milan.
Water bomb
15 people are isolated at a campsite, with the Lambro River also high. Mobile barriers have been activated. Weather alert issued.
The search is still ongoing for the missing woman in the Alessandria area, which has been hit by severe weather since last night and in the past few hours, like many other areas in Northern Italy. Fifteen people are isolated in a campsite in the same area, in Spigno Monferrato , due to rising water levels: rescue operations are underway. The Seveso River, in the Milan area, has flooded. No injuries have been reported at this time, and firefighters say the situation is under control. The Lombardy Region has announced an orange alert for hydrological risk.
Due to heavy rains, the Seveso, one of the rivers that flows underground in the Milan area, has overflowed its banks. Several centimeters of water have covered some areas in the northern part of the city: Ca'Granda, Niguarda, Isola, and Viale Zara. Traffic is blocked, and many shops have blocked their entrances with barriers and sandbags. Several buildings on Viale Suzzani are without power , and some rooms in the Palace of Justice are flooded. Several underpasses are flooded, cars are blocked, and cellars are flooded. In Paderno Dugnano, the Seveso River embankment has collapsed.
"Heavy rains across the entire Seveso basin since 5:00 AM this morning," said Marco Granelli, Councilor for Security and Mobility for the City of Milan. "In Seveso, over 200 mm of water, and a lot of it also in Cantù and Paderno Dugnano. The Milan basin has been active since 8:00 AM, and this time, Senago has also been activated. Unfortunately, the basin is overflowing, and so from 10:00 AM to 10:15 AM it began to overflow in Niguarda in the Pratocentenaro neighborhood. The upper Lambro River is also flooded, and Via Vittorini, protected by the mobile flood barriers installed this morning at 6:00 AM."
The Milan Prefecture has activated the Rescue Coordination Center to monitor critical situations, especially the road network. Representatives of the municipalities of Milan, Paderno Dugnano, and Cusano Milanino, the Metropolitan City of Milan, the Carabinieri Command of Sesto San Giovanni, AREU, and ARPA are participating in the CCS meeting.
Over 70 firefighters responded to the scene, with roads closed in the provinces of Como and Varese, where landslides, flooding, and overflowing occurred. A landslide occurred on the border between the municipalities of Como and Blevio, on the eastern shore of the Como branch of Lake Como. A vehicle was involved in the landslide; no injuries were reported. Emergency services responded to the scene, and the road was closed. A similar situation occurred on the SS344 in Brusimpiano, in the province of Varese. Flooding occurred in Lavena Ponte Tresa; a motorist was rescued from a flooded underpass in Turate.
In Liguria, a torrential downpour hit Cairo Montenotte at first light, with over 90 millimeters of rain falling in an hour, and the Bormida River overflowing its banks . Firefighters were able to respond despite the difficulty for emergency vehicles to reach the town. Disabled people in high-risk areas were also rescued, and inspections are currently underway. The severe weather also caused damage in Dego.
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