More than 1500 people have been forced to evacuate after a 4-kilometer-long landslide in the Sicilian town of Niscemi left homes teetering on the edge of a cliff. A cyclone and accompanying rainfall caused the landslide on Sunday, creating a drop of up to 45 metres.
Niscemi Landslide Forces Mass Evacuations
No one has been reported injured or killed, but several homes are close to collapsing. Houses that remained suspended were inevitably doomed to collapse, as were those closest to the landslide’s summit line, according to Sicilian Regional Department of Civil Protection head Salvo Cocina.
“It is likely that most of these homes will never be recoverable, and new housing will have to be found,” Cocina said.
Authorities have widened the evacuation zone to 150 metres, ordering a total of about 1500 people to evacuate as the landslide worsened since Sunday. Affected residents are receiving support from local authorities and are seeking refuge in the homes of family and friends.
Mayor Massimiliano Conti has described the situation as “dire” as aerial images captured the catastrophic scenes.
The Italian government has allocated €100 million ($171.7 million) to support emergency efforts and declared a national state of emergency for Sicily, Sardinia and Calabria. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said her thoughts were with the affected communities.
Sicilian President Renato Schifani, leading the emergency response, emphasized the importance of considering climate change in rebuilding efforts. “In this work that lies ahead, we must take climate change into account: it is a moral duty to rebuild while trying to prevent similar events from having such devastating consequences as they did this time,” he said in a statement. “Thanks to the timely interventions, we were able to protect people; now we are working to ensure that the land is protected in the future as well.”
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