Flood in Piedmont heavy damage to agriculture

Fortunately the worst should be over: forecasts still indicate some light rain on Piedmont for tomorrow afternoon, but without serious risks.

In these hours, the damage account is underway for the latest wave of bad weather , which between last night (Friday) and this morning has plagued our region with unprecedented violence.

Collapsed bridges - the one that connects Romagnano to Gattinara has literally collapsed - villages, fields and roads flooded, landslides in the mountains and hills. The Civil Protection of the Region signals the alert for the Ceppi Morelli (Verbano Cusio Ossola), Sessera (Biella) and Gurzia (Turin) dams . In pre-alert those of Piastra (Cuneo), San Nicolao (Biella), Rinasco (Vercelli) Melezet and Vistrorio (Turin) . Unfortunately, they are also missing: in the early afternoon there are already 11.

The amount of rainfall is exceptional: in the last 24 hours the weather station of Sambughetto (Verbania) recorded 630 mm of rain , that of Limone Piemonte (CN) 580 mm , thus exceeding the historical record of rain for the entire region since 1958.

Among the most affected areas the Cuneo area and the Valsesia. The Tanaro , the Sesia and, in the morning, also the Dora Baltea in Ivrea and Banchette flooded, flooding homes and production activities.

Damage to agriculture

" Our first thoughts go to the families of the missing, with the hope that they will be found safe and sound. The budget for agriculture is heavy and once again - declares Enrico Allasia, president of Confagricoltura Piemonte - and demonstrates unequivocally that, Beyond the climate change underway, it is necessary to invest decisively in prevention, to avoid repeating phenomena of this kind ".

Throughout the region - the technicians of Confagricoltura Piemonte point out - there are flooded meadows and fields, with the most significant damage to soybeans , mostly still to be threshed, corn and especially rice , in full harvesting period. Damage to vineyards and orchards also in the hills, due to landslides and landslides.

In the Cuneo area the main problems are reported in Alta Val Tanaro, with very serious damage to Garessio, while in Alba there is apprehension because the level of the Tanaro continues to rise.

In the Asti area, the Tanaro has already overflowed into the lower fields in the Castello d'Annone area, flooding arable land and vegetable gardens, while the flood is still awaiting.

In the Casalese area, in Terranova, the Sesia flooded, submerging the rice fields in the middle of the threshing period. The population has been evacuated and the flood continues to rise.

In the Lower Novara area, the Arbogna torrent, a tributary of the Agogna river, flooded in Garbagna Novarese.

Paola Battioli, president of Confagricoltura Novara-VCO reports how there is a lot of water in the rice fields close to harvest, with damage still to be assessed. " The rice fields - says Paola Battioli - have played an essential role in limiting the disaster, containing what could have been a much more serious damage to inhabited centers ".

In Granozzo con Monticello the Agogna torrent flooded, flooding the provincial road 6 and the rice fields.

" In the next few days, when the water has withdrawn, it will be possible to assess the damage, which at the moment however seems important - declares Ercole Zuccaro, director of Confagricoltura Piemonte - especially in our region, where the territory is particularly fragile. maintenance of waterways to make entire areas safe, preventing hydrogeological instability that every year cause victims and considerable damage to businesses and agriculture ".