WATCH: Southern Italy battered by storms, floods and tornadoes
Heavy rain, hail, thunderstorms, and winds of more than 100 kilometres per hour hit many parts of southern Italy on Tuesday.
The Italian Civil Protection Department issued a red alert for the regions of Basilicata, Calabria and Sicily, and a lower orange alert was issued for Puglia ahead of fierce storms which began in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
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Schools across many parts of the southern regions announced closures for Tuesday, and the Civil Protection Department warned drivers of the risk of falling trees and swollen rivers.
Since Monday night, firefighters in the four southern regions have been called out a total of 460 times to deal with storm damage, the fire service wrote on Twitter.
Da ieri sera sono stati 460 gli interventi effettuati dai #vigilidelfuoco per il #maltempo che ha colpito in particolare Sicilia, Calabria, Basilicata e Puglia. Squadre al lavoro per allagamenti e soccorsi alla popolazione #12novembre 12:30 pic.twitter.com/kYQdsRgCuP
— Vigili del Fuoco (@emergenzavvf) November 12, 2019
While no injuries have been reported so far, there are widespread reports of damage to homes, businesses, electricity supplies and farmers' crops across all four regions.
A tornado was reported off the coast of Siracuse, Sicily.
Siracusa. Maltempo, tromba d'aria a Siracusa - Libertà Sicilia https://t.co/n78JeKXecK pic.twitter.com/DIK3XdWeNu
— Libertà Sicilia (@LibertaSicilia) November 12, 2019
In Basilicata, the coastal town of Metaponto was also reportedly hit by a tornado while nearby Matera suffered serious flooding.
This dramatic video footage shows floodwaster gushing through Matera's historic town centre on Tuesday morning.
“We've never seen anything like it,” Matera resident Giuseppe Bartucci, who shot the video, told The Local.
Restaurants and hotels in Matera's ancient, Unesco-listed Sassi, or old town, suffered serious damage according to local news reports.
Photo: Italian fire service
Near Bari on Tuesday morning a lorry crashed into a motorway barrier after losing control in heavy rain. No one was hurt in the accident, firefighters confirmed.
In Salento, Puglia, a large number of olive trees were reportedly damaged by strong winds, while the university of Salento closed due to the extreme weather lashing the province of Lecce.
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The Local's Italy editor Clare Speak also experienced flooding in Bari province on Tuesday, and said olive trees in the area had been stripped bare by fierce winds, days before they were due to be harvested.
In our area the 100km/hr winds are the worst thing. Here are some of our family's trees this morning, now minus olives, a few days before they were supposed to be harvested. pic.twitter.com/sEETS5Ms0u
— Clare Speak (@ClareinItaly) November 12, 2019
Agricultural group Coldiretti said serious damage had been done to crops and land across many areas.
"Gusts of wind up to over 100 kilometers per hour are lashing Puglia, destroying greenhouses, tents, buildings, blowing down trees, and leaving olives on the ground." said Savino Muraglia, president of Coldiretti Puglia.
"These are just the latest effects of climate tropicalization on our fragile territory,” said Muraglia, who added that the organisation is requesting a “declaration of a state of emergency.” in the region.
Have you been affected by flooding or storms in Italy this week? Send your photos or video to us at [email protected]
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The Italian Civil Protection Department issued a red alert for the regions of Basilicata, Calabria and Sicily, and a lower orange alert was issued for Puglia ahead of fierce storms which began in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
READ ALSO:
Schools across many parts of the southern regions announced closures for Tuesday, and the Civil Protection Department warned drivers of the risk of falling trees and swollen rivers.
Since Monday night, firefighters in the four southern regions have been called out a total of 460 times to deal with storm damage, the fire service wrote on Twitter.
Da ieri sera sono stati 460 gli interventi effettuati dai #vigilidelfuoco per il #maltempo che ha colpito in particolare Sicilia, Calabria, Basilicata e Puglia. Squadre al lavoro per allagamenti e soccorsi alla popolazione #12novembre 12:30 pic.twitter.com/kYQdsRgCuP
— Vigili del Fuoco (@emergenzavvf) November 12, 2019
While no injuries have been reported so far, there are widespread reports of damage to homes, businesses, electricity supplies and farmers' crops across all four regions.
A tornado was reported off the coast of Siracuse, Sicily.
Siracusa. Maltempo, tromba d'aria a Siracusa - Libertà Sicilia https://t.co/n78JeKXecK pic.twitter.com/DIK3XdWeNu
— Libertà Sicilia (@LibertaSicilia) November 12, 2019
In Basilicata, the coastal town of Metaponto was also reportedly hit by a tornado while nearby Matera suffered serious flooding.
This dramatic video footage shows floodwaster gushing through Matera's historic town centre on Tuesday morning.
“We've never seen anything like it,” Matera resident Giuseppe Bartucci, who shot the video, told The Local.
Restaurants and hotels in Matera's ancient, Unesco-listed Sassi, or old town, suffered serious damage according to local news reports.
Photo: Italian fire service
Near Bari on Tuesday morning a lorry crashed into a motorway barrier after losing control in heavy rain. No one was hurt in the accident, firefighters confirmed.
In Salento, Puglia, a large number of olive trees were reportedly damaged by strong winds, while the university of Salento closed due to the extreme weather lashing the province of Lecce.
READ ALSO:
The Local's Italy editor Clare Speak also experienced flooding in Bari province on Tuesday, and said olive trees in the area had been stripped bare by fierce winds, days before they were due to be harvested.
In our area the 100km/hr winds are the worst thing. Here are some of our family's trees this morning, now minus olives, a few days before they were supposed to be harvested. pic.twitter.com/sEETS5Ms0u
— Clare Speak (@ClareinItaly) November 12, 2019
Agricultural group Coldiretti said serious damage had been done to crops and land across many areas.
"Gusts of wind up to over 100 kilometers per hour are lashing Puglia, destroying greenhouses, tents, buildings, blowing down trees, and leaving olives on the ground." said Savino Muraglia, president of Coldiretti Puglia.
"These are just the latest effects of climate tropicalization on our fragile territory,” said Muraglia, who added that the organisation is requesting a “declaration of a state of emergency.” in the region.
Have you been affected by flooding or storms in Italy this week? Send your photos or video to us at [email protected]
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