Evacuation of tourists from flood-ravaged Cogne completed

The evacuation via helicopter of
tourists stranded in Cogne after the flooding and mudslides that
hit northern Italy at the weekend badly damaged the regional
highway to the Aosta Valley town on the slopes of the Gran
Paradiso mountain was completed on Wednesday.

   
"It was a great civil protection operation involving four to
five helicopters," said Mayor Franco Allera after the evacuation
of 1,796 people.

   
"The flights will continue, in the mornings and evenings, to
transport Cogne residents working in other parts of Aosta and
staff assisting the local population".

   
Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci said Tuesday that it
will not be possible to reopen the highway for at least a month.

   
"That road is important, strategic and I fear it will not be
possible to put it right and fit for use within a month,"
Musumeci told Sky television.

   
The wave of extreme weather, which claimed lives in Switzerland
and France, also hit Piedmont and other parts of the Aosta
Valley.

   
These include the ski resort of Cervinia, where Deputy Mayor
Massimo Chatrian said the damage adds up to "millions and
millions".

   
Scientists say the climate crisis caused by human greenhouse gas
emissions is making extreme weather events such as heatwaves,
droughts, supercharged storms and flooding more frequent and
more intense.

   
Although there are many sources of the greenhouse gases that are
causing global heating, the main driver is the burning of fossil
fuels such as oil, gas and coal, sales of which generate huge
profits for the world's energy giants.

   

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