Aosta Valley calls for state of devastation after storm – DW – 07/01/2024

The authorities of the Aosta Valley, one of the two regions of northern Italy, together with Piedmont, most affected by the strong storms that hit this weekend, will request a state of natural disaster this Monday (07/1/2024), while one of its towns, Cogne, remains isolated due to the damage caused by the bad weather.

After rainfall over the last two days, which caused floods, landslides, strong wind gusts, damage and the evacuation of people stranded in areas, the Valle d’Aosta Regional Council is trying to restore normality.

Civil protection workers are working tirelessly to regain access to the Cogne Valley, which is isolated after its main road was damaged and whose main town, of the same name, has been cut off since Sunday because of torrential rains and is without water along part of the road, according to local media.

In the last few hours, 29 people trapped in two shelters in Monte Rosa, in the mountainous region of northern Italy, were evacuated, following several evacuations by helicopter by rescue teams in different locations this Sunday.

In one of them, 200 people isolated in the Cogne Valley area were evacuated, while according to the same sources, emergency teams had to carry out about 80 interventions in various parts of Aosta and Piedmont, including the rescue of a family trapped in a car on the banks of a strong torrent of water.

In the Piedmont region, according to first estimates, the damage caused by the strong storm has an economic cost of up to three million euros, due to issues such as damage to bridges, roads or rocks.

President of Switzerland visits flood-affected areas

In neighbouring Switzerland, at least four people were killed and one is still missing after strong storms over the weekend triggered landslides and floods that caused rivers such as the Rhone, one of the country’s major rivers, to swell.

The Swiss president, Viola Amhard, is travelling this Monday (1.07.024) to the alpine cantons of Valais and Ticino in the south of the country, where strong storms over the weekend caused floods and landslides, leaving at least four dead and two missing.

According to a statement from the Federal Council (executive), the president will visit Valais in the morning and Ticino in the afternoon together with the respective cantonal state councillors, and will hold meetings with political leaders from the affected areas and those responsible for civil protection.

CP(EFE,AFPD,RTR)