Severe weather: President Meloni visits Sicily

The President of the Council of Ministers, Giorgia Meloni, visited Sicily this morning, where she flew by helicopter over the areas most affected by the exceptional wave of severe weather that hit southern Italy earlier this week, in particular due to the passage of Cyclone Harry.

President Meloni went to Niscemi, in the province of Caltanissetta, where a large active landslide is affecting the town, so far leading to the evacuation of approximately 1,500 citizens. President Meloni met with the Mayor of Niscemi and chaired a meeting at the town hall, which was attended by the Prefect of Caltanissetta, Head of the Civil Protection Department Fabio Ciciliano and Civil Protection Department technicians.

The meeting assessed the emergency situation and confirmed the full commitment of the Government and the institutions concerned to help those who have been displaced (for whom provisions have already been made for a self-arranged housing allowance), as well as to restore the road network, resume school activities and ensure the functionality of the gas and electricity supply network. The situation is made more complex by the fact that, while the landslide is still ongoing, it is impossible to identify the precise area where intervention is required and therefore establish how to intervene.

President Meloni assured Mayor Conti that the Government will do everything possible to avoid a recurrence of what happened following the landslide in 1997, with particular regard to the delays in indemnity payments. The Government will act swiftly in this direction, and President Meloni committed to scheduling a new meeting in approximately two weeks' time in order to make more detailed decisions, taking into account the necessary information. President Meloni also took the opportunity to thank MP Angelo Bonelli, who was also in Niscemi and with whom she had the chance to discuss the serious emergency.

President Meloni went on to visit the headquarters of the Harbour Master's Office in Catania, where she chaired a meeting that was attended, among others, by: Minister for Civil Protection Nello Musumeci; President of the Sicilian Region Renato Schifani; Head of the Civil Protection Department Fabio Ciciliano; Mayor of Catania Enrico Trantino; Mayor of Messina Federico Basile; Mayor of Siracusa Francesco Italia; and the Prefects of Catania, Messina and Siracusa. During the meeting, it was reiterated that the Government is paying the utmost attention to the ongoing emergency affecting Sicily, Sardinia and Calabria. It was also highlighted that the Council of Ministers declaring a state of emergency, with an initial allocation of EUR 100 million, was only an initial response for the areas involved, pending a clearer picture of the situation and a precise quantification of the damage. The Government is working to draw up a decree law to allocate the necessary resources.