The yellow alert had been issued, but what was unleashed on Cagliari , around 16.30, was a real tropical storm .
72 millimeters of rain fell in an hour of genuine fear, amidst floods and paralyzed traffic.
Roads like rivers in Pirri , strong slowdowns on the 131, from Nuraminis, where in via Villasor the dam, formed with the construction of the F4 coplanar, northbound, has shown all its danger: the rain has poured out a mass of water that it is raised up to one and a half meters .
The water also invaded the Elmas airport with 4 flights diverted to Alghero due to bad weather.
Many inconveniences in Assemini in the streets of Cagliari, Sardinia and Corso America. The damage caused to various agricultural lands is also incalculable . In addition, several trees have collapsed along the Sulcitana , the road connecting Elmas.
Cars submerged by water and fallen trees also in Uta , in via Regina Margherita and, in particular, in via Su Pixinali, near the retirement home Villa Ada, where the intervention of the local police was necessary.
In Decimomannu several citizens reported the flooding of part of the church of Sant'Antonio Abate.
Damage and inconvenience along " Bobarei ", the road connecting Uta and Decimomannu where the strong wind has uncovered the sheds of some farms. Cristina Branco's concert postponed to Nora (6 October in Cagliari).
Torrential rain also in San Sperate where the streets, especially those on the outskirts, were flooded. The river, the rio Mannu, after the usual summer dryness returned in a few minutes to its autumn bulk. Fear and flooding also in the Sarcidano : in Serri the weather station recorded 51 mm of rain in the archaeological area of Santa Vittoria.
In Bitti the inhabitants remained closed in their homes , as had already happened during the storm last Tuesday, recalling the flood of November 28, 2020, which cost the lives of three people.
ALERT IN GALLURA - The forecasts , as explained by Carlo Spanu, meteorologist of the Air Force in Decimomannu, foresee the last aftermath of instability for today , then the summer in Sardinia will go on with a new wave of torrid heat from August 15th . But be careful in Gallura : a yellow code alert for hydrogeological risk and thunderstorms issued by the Civil Protection for tomorrow , Saturday 13 August, from 6 to 18.
INTERVENTIONS IN THE LAST HOURS - In the last hours a house in via Sulcitan in the center of Elmas has been completely evacuated due to the collapse of the roof and part of the construction elements due to water infiltrations due to yesterday's bad weather. Some areas were, in fact, completely flooded.
The evacuation was decided after the inspection of one of the emergency response teams of the Fire Brigade who are still responding to over 60 requests for intervention after the storm that affected Cagliari and the province of Southern Sardinia.
The fire brigade guard officer intervened on the spot as a technical officer to carry out the stability inspection of the structure, the local police and the mayor of Elmas, Maria Laura Orrù, who provided for a temporary accommodation of the evacuated people .
"In the next few days, the three people who had to stay away from home will find a place in an accommodation facility in the city - explains the mayor - then we hope that the restoration work can begin immediately".
Other interventions are underway by the firefighters also in Capoterra for the collapse of construction elements, stability checks and for the safety of roofs and structures. Work continues on the safety measures for the removal of unsafe parts from the roofs of the structures and for the cutting of felled and unsafe trees in the provincial territory.
In the last few hours, the most critical issues have been found in Isili, Gergei, Mandas, Elmas, Assemini, Uta, Decimomannu and Sestu and in the Iglesiente .
In Sestu , in via Don Milani, the gusts of wind tore a photovoltaic system from the roof of a shed: fortunately, part of it ended up on the street without involving people.
In Cagliari, in via Liguria , some elements of a scaffolding in a building under renovation have detached from the facade .
DAMAGE IN THE FIELDS - Greenhouses destroyed and open field crops demolished is the bulletin in the countryside of the storm that suddenly materialized yesterday afternoon in southern Sardinia. Several farms in the Parteolla and hinterland of Cagliari, in particular Assemini, had to surrender to bad weather in a few minutes, suffering heavy losses. The hailstones and the strong wind turned into real bullets that shattered the greenhouses of Assemini, uncovering them. And in the Parteolla they literally destroyed fields of vegetables (courgettes, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes) as well as some vineyards : the grapes now ready for harvest have been scourged and above all those of Vermentino, Chardonnay and Monica.
"On the day after we can only collect the pieces and start yet another damage count - explains Coldiretti - In greenhouses it is a question of quantifying the losses while for field crops it is necessary to wait a few days to get a more precise picture of the damage" .
"Unfortunately, it is a film that has already been seen and which we are witnessing more and more often and continuously - says Giorgio Demurtas, the provincial president of Coldiretti Cagliari -. Climate change is conditioning and dictating the timing of agriculture. The climate is tropicalizing and tropicalizing. we are accustomed to extreme events. It would be normal to request a state of natural disaster but seeing when it happened in recent years due to the bureaucracy, it seems only wasted time . " of the disasters of 2018 ".
"ENNESIMA TEGOLA" - "Fields of vegetables, olive groves, vineyards and greenhouses have been devastated by bad weather, yet another tile on Sardinian farmers - says Alessandro Vacca , regional director of Cia Sardegna - In this condition there is more than ever the need to face with foresight and determination the effects that climate change produces on the island's agricultural sector ".
(Unioneonline / vl)