Extreme weather over the weekend wreaked havoc on crops. Venice was saved from flooding by the MOSE barriers. A quake, tsunami and eruption also occurred on Stromboli.
Italy saw over 30 extreme weather events this weekend. It has brought the cost of damage to crops to over €6 billion across the country this year, farm group Coldiretti said Monday.
Thunderstorms, hurricanes and hailstorms swept across the country this weekend. Fields and stores flooded, trees uprooted, greenhouses destroyed, and crops ruined – just some of the devastation Italy suffered.
The worst destruction was wreaked in Sicily, Calabria, Puglia and Lazio, the farmers said. The damage to the rich farming land of the Salento area of Puglia was huge, Coldiretti said.
There was also damage further north. In Tuscany on Monday the state highway between Prato and Pistoia closed due to flooding. Some 20 centimeters of snow fell in Cortina in the Dolomites.
Venice was again saved from flooding by its MOSE barriers.
Stromboli affected by three activities
A quake, tsunami and a fresh eruption hit the island of Stromboli on Sunday. The 4.6 magnitude tremor triggered a tsunami wave off the Aeolian island of about one and a half metres high. Fortunately, however, the wave barely reached the coast.
The tidal wave was reportedly caused by a piece of the the Sciara del Fuoco section of the volcano breaking off and slamming into the sea.
Alarms rang out on the island but, according to Civil Protection reports, no damage was reported. An orange alert had been in place for volcanic activity, while the Civil Protection department issued a pre-alert.
The eruption from the highly active southeast section of the volcano continued Monday. Furthermore, the lava reached the sea where it sank steamily into the coastal waters.
