At 600 feet Villafranca, Pieve Cesaro, Cotignola, Lugo, Bagnacavallo, San Lorenzo, Faenza flow like a single river
(From the correspondent Silvia Mancinelli) – When the Nh500 of the 13th helicopter unit in Forlì takes off, it has already started raining again. The sky has the color of lime and the consistency of cotton while the small reconnaissance aircraft carrying the Adnkronos takes off over the devastated territory of the Emilian province. The direction is Lugo, one of the most battered municipalities, where the carabinieri helicopters land to deliver basic necessities. Under the command of Marshal Nicola De Simone, Villafranca, Pieve Cesaro, Cotignola (where it was decided to evacuate the hospital from the very first hours), Lugo, Bagnacavallo, Cà di Lugo, all the way to the area of San Lorenzo where at an altitude of 600 feet you can clearly see the restoration work on the Santerno river bank which, having overflowed, almost took away a house.
Finally Faenza, where a man on a bicycle challenges the road that has become a stream and the tractors resist placed on improvised platforms. Reconnaissance, attempts to enter the valley often failed, like today, due to unpredictable and constantly changing weather conditions. They serve to open the runway to the aircraft of all the armed forces which take off here, on the runway of the Forlì airport, coordinated by the COA (aerospace operations command) to arrive where thousands of people are still hostage to the water.
“Among the various rescue operations there is precisely this – explains to Adnkronos lieutenant colonel Vincenzo Lombardo, commander of the 13th helicopter unit of Forlì – arriving in isolated locations, especially from landslides that have been very copious in the internal area and which have isolated many inhabited centers such as Tredozio, Modigliana, San Pietro in Albe reachable only by helicopter. Once those in need of immediate care were brought to safety, the families who remained on the spot and who for various reasons cannot leave their homes are supported with the transport of medicines made available by the Emilia Romagna ASL and food supplies supplied by the Prefecture of Forli”.
“We have used our hangar as a storage hub – continues the captain – so that all aircraft can embark here with us. These days we necessarily have to deal with the weather conditions that are not always ‘flyable’ – he specifies – Moreover, we are talking about places which, being in the Apennines, cannot be satisfied in conditions of poor visibility and very low coverage”.
Source-www.adnkronos.com