Cyclone Ines: Palermo under water - the flood brings chaos!

Cyclone Ines: Palermo under water - the flood brings chaos!

Palermo, Italien - Italy is currently fighting with the enormous consequences of the Ines cyclone, which has been causing severe floods on the island of Sicily since Thursday. The capital Palermo is particularly affected, where reports on considerable damage have arisen. Videos that are shared on social media show flooded roads and fallen trees. As Exxpress.at , the fire brigade often had to move out in various regions in order to cope with the damage caused.

Around Palermo have flooded street floods, including the Corleone region. In addition, the railway line between Palermo and Messina was temporarily interrupted due to rock falls, which significantly affects traffic. The volcanic island of Stromboli is also affected, where sludge avalanches are blocking the narrow streets and isolating many residents.

effects for the population and tourists

The situation is so precarious that Mayor in Catania, Syracus, Agrigent and Ragusa have already ordered the closure of the schools. In addition, parks, cemeteries and sports facilities were closed in other municipalities for security reasons. Many tourists broke off their stays early and left the island with ferries to get to safety.

The cyclone Ines is attributed to origin from North Africa, especially the Algerian hinterland. In the meantime, activists have proclaimed the “climate emergency” online and pointed out the role of climate change that favors such extreme weather events.

climate change and its consequences

A current report by Working Group I of the World Climate District (IPCC) has shown that extreme weather events such as the floods in Sicily become more likely. Since August 2021, it has been known that the global surface temperature rises faster than ever in the past 2000 years, which leads to an increase in sea levels and increased greenhouse gas concentration. As explained on wwf.de , extremely weather such as heavy rain and coastal floods are long no longer occur annually.

The protection of the environment and the fight against climate change must be seen as urgent tasks in order to counter such disasters in the future. The focus is on the need for a faster reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and the expansion of renewable energies.

The current events in Sicily impressively show that the effects of climate change can no longer be ignored. An end to the extreme weather events is not in sight if measures are not taken immediately to protect our environment and limit the ear heating.