Thursday, May 29, 2008

Cut off Again!


Well yet again the authorities have done their bit for the environment. Our neighbour has been allowed to run riot with a digger for years and the forest rangers have just let him get on with it. Everyone who saw what he was doing was horrified - everyone. Everyone said the same thing - it'll all come down as soon as it rains hard enough. A disaster waiting to happen but our neighbour doesn't give a toss and listens to nobody and the authorities listen to nobody and so the rest of us end up picking up the pieces.
A whole cone of land complete with the few remaining trees that were left and a few hefty rocks to boot slid down the side of the hill and the resulting wave washedquite a way up the other side of the gorge before washing our neighbours car out of its parking place, blocking the bridge and very effectively cutting us off. Well thank you misters forestali for policing the situation so well!!
Still there's nothing we can do. just have to wait until it clears up and then start shifting rubble and trees and mud. Mind you there's always someobody worse off than yourself. The rescue helicopter has been going back and forth all morning. I've spoken to a couple of people who say that further up the valley is a disaster. I was going to pontificate about how we are alway left to fend for ourselves here but i had a phone call from the council (I swooned) asking us if everything was alright and if we were in need of medical assistance and giving us the relevant numbers for the civil protection etc. which i though was very good of them. It's easy to criticise the general apathy of the authorities but it does mean they are at least aware of the areas at risk.
Sorry the video is not very clear but the i never was much of a roving reporter and anyway i met my good neighbour Angelo and we had to start digging and making dykes etc.
four o'clock:
Apparently a landslide hit a house in the next village, two dead two missing. It was obvious that the situation was serious due to the numbr of trips the helicopter was making and the fact that a battalion of soldiers have been bussed in heading up the valley but i didn't realise it was so bad. Poor people. There always have to be deaths before the authorities do anything. Have they never heard of prevention? One of the missing is a little child Hannik and her mother Erica and another body has been found in a car which was swept away by a landslide too. According to the authorities the weather situation is going to get worse. Better start looking for a torch i suppose.
Later:
So apparently they have just closed the bridge connecting the valley to the rest of the world.
They have apparently also closed the bridge connecting the next valley so effectively the whole valley is cut off just like in 2002 (?). This is not surprising as the amojnt of trees getting swept down the river is amazing. The helicopter is still going up and down so i presume it is still looking for bodies.
Apparently they are not looking for bodies but shuttling people from the other side of the river trapped because the bridge is out. That's a relief anyway.
It's going to be a long night as the clouds are building up again and the weather forecast is that this is just the start and it will get worse. They have started evacuating people in the area, 300 so far.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm so sorry to see that :( It's amazing how much devastation one person and a digger can do if left to it, for all the sensible and environmentally minded people all it takes is one idiot!
I'm glad the authorities had the presence of mind to reach people to see if they are ok even if it is a little too late, they should have stepped in sooner.
On a brighter note, your dog looked happy having a sniff around.

Anonymous said...

I hope you find them safe, I will keep all of you in my thoughts