Sicily, bad weather in Catania and Palermo. In Scordia cars overwhelmed by mud- Corriere.it

A strong wave of bad weather hit Sicily, in particular the south-eastern area of ​​the island, on Sunday and in the evening, creating considerable damage and considerable inconvenience to the population.

The most problematic situation is a Scordia, an agricultural center of the Plain of Catania, where intense rain and strong winds have created rivers of water in the city streets: the impetuous force of the water has also dragged several cars.

To understand the complexity of the situation in the Catanese area, it is necessary to look at one fact: in the Scordia area almost 150 millimeters of rain fell, an amount that is usually recorded over a few months.

Also in Scordia, a group of foreign tourists was rescued by the Civil Protection. The minibus on which 5 people were traveling was hit by the force of the water along the state road 385 that connects the agricultural center with Catania. The tourists had to get out of the vehicle and were taken to a safe area by some volunteers.

Passengers on a scheduled bus, on the other hand, found refuge at the nearby factory of a local company.

«There is a very strong disturbance in Sicily – says Salvatore Cocina, director of regional civil protection – a storm cell that has already hit Pantelleria and is preparing to reach the areas of Agrigento and Nisseno. Another storm cell has already discharged a large amount of rain between Palagonia, Scordia, Militello, Francofonte, causing landslides and flooding and damage to property but fortunately without any injuries. Another cell invests the area of ​​Giarre. The situation is evolving and we expect further phenomena. We are on red alert and over one hundred municipal operational centers are open to monitor the situation ».

In Eastern Sicily the alert level is maximum.

In various municipalities of Sicily, from Catania to Messina, from Syracuse to Enna, schools of all levels will be closed on Monday as a precaution. Vaccination hubs will remain closed in Catania and the province.

In various areas of eastern Sicily there are trees felled and infrastructural damage.

In the Catanese area, the San Giuliano bridge that crosses the Alcantara river in the Randazzo area was heavily damaged due to bad weather. The damage count is updated continuously.

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