A wave of bad weather hit Tuscany from 12 November, causing rivers to burst their banks, landslides and road closures in the north of the region. By the evening of 13 November, regional civil protection counted 151 people isolated and 112 evacuated, according to the local news site SerchioInDiretta. No deaths or injuries were reported in the sources consulted.
The figures changed from one update to the next as the situation evolved.
Red alert in the north of the region
The Tuscan authorities issued a red alert for hydrogeological risk until midnight on 12 November for Lunigiana, the Serchio valley, Garfagnana, the Lima valley and the Reno valley, ANSA reported. A yellow alert for storms covered the whole region.
On 13 November, the alert was lowered to orange for the centre-north of the region and for hydraulic risk in the north-west. At national level, an orange alert was also in force for Tuscany, Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Umbria and Lazio, according to press reports.
Rivers at exceptional levels
Several rivers rose sharply:
- the Serchio reached a flow of 1,238 cubic metres per second at Borgo a Mozzano, near Lucca;
- the Ombrone Pistoiese reached 3.53 metres at Pontelungo, near Pistoia, a new historic record. The expansion tanks at Ponte alle Vanne were activated;
- the Arno remained within its reference levels.
On 13 November, ANSA reported that the flood peaks had passed "without particular critical issues" on the main rivers. A third flood wave on the Serchio passed at Vecchiano, near Pisa, according to the daily La Nazione.
Isolated people and evacuations
At 1 p.m. on 13 November, ANSA counted 124 people isolated in the provinces of Arezzo, Lucca and Massa-Carrara, and around a hundred evacuated, mostly as a precaution in the Pisa area. By the 7 p.m. update, the toll had risen to:
- 151 people isolated in the provinces of Lucca, Massa-Carrara, Pistoia and Arezzo;
- 112 people evacuated (85 plus 27);
- 200 open issues out of 373 reported: Massa-Carrara (69), Lucca (68), Pistoia (44), Arezzo (15), Pisa (2) and Prato (2).
Firefighters had handled more than 190 requests for help by midday on 13 November. In Massa, a motorist was rescued from a car trapped in the flooded via Oliveti underpass.
Lucca province: villages cut off
The SS12 state road was closed between Bagni di Lucca and Borgo a Mozzano, cutting off Bagni di Lucca and the hamlet of Fornoli. A landslide caused a gas leak at Ponte a Serraglio.
Elsewhere, the Acqua Bianca stream overflowed at Piazza al Serchio, river banks were eroded at Castelnuovo di Garfagnana and Gallicano, and a landslide hit Coreglia Antelminelli. Flooding was also reported in Pietrasanta. In the Pisa area, the Vecchiano floodplain was cleared and 26 people were evacuated from the riverside area of San Giuliano Terme.
Massa-Carrara, Pistoia and Arezzo
In the province of Massa-Carrara, pumps were deployed at Caniparola after a bank collapse, the Osca stream eroded the area near kilometre 88 of the Cisa motorway at Tresana, and a road was cut at Fivizzano. Around Pistoia, a landslide hit via Calabbiana and a road was closed at Pescia.
In the province of Arezzo, the hamlet of Montagna, home to about 20 people, was cut off after a bank of the Afra collapsed near Sansepolcro; three vulnerable people were evacuated. The Tignana stream overflowed at Pieve Santo Stefano. According to reports relayed by the Archynewsy site, Arezzo firefighters carried out about 70 rescues in 24 hours, including the airlifting of two people by helicopter.
Rail traffic disrupted
The Marradi–Faenza railway line was closed until at least 11 a.m. on 14 November. Service on the Aulla–Piazza al Serchio line was being restored.
Regional president Eugenio Giani said civil protection services were coordinating the response across the affected provinces. Forecasters still expected up to 20 to 25 mm of rain in three hours in some areas.
What remains to be confirmed
- The final toll of damage and the cost of repairs.
- When the SS12 and the isolated hamlets will be fully reopened.
- Whether the region will request a state of emergency from the national government.
Main image: the Ponte della Maddalena over the Serchio at Borgo a Mozzano (file photo, 2009) — H005, Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
Sources
- ANSA — Maltempo, in Toscana confermata allerta rossa, poi arancione
- ANSA — Maltempo in Toscana, transitate piene dei fiumi senza particolari criticità
- ANSA — Maltempo in Toscana, 124 persone ancora isolate e un centinaio evacuate
- SerchioInDiretta — Maltempo, il bilancio della protezione civile regionale in Toscana: 112 evacuati e 151 isolati
- Archynewsy — Arezzo firefighters carry out 70 rescues during severe weather
