Latest news with #LucaZaia
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Three dead after deadly spring storm wreaks havoc in the Alps
Two men on their way to help with rescue efforts were found dead on Friday after a spring storm drenched parts of northern Italy and dumped more than a metre of snow in other areas across the Alps, shutting ski areas, halting transport and killing at least one other person. The storm shut roads, halted trains and cut power to areas in France, Italy and Switzerland. Although snow in April is not rare in the Alps mountain range, the amount that fell in just hours was unusual and took authorities and residents by surprise. It Italy, the bodies of a 64-year-old man and his 33-year-old son were found near Vicenza in the Venetian region, bringing the death toll in the country to three. The pair had volunteered to help with rescue efforts after heavy rains lashed the north of the country and were on their way when their car was swept away by the currents unleashed by the deluge in what the head of the region, Luca Zaia, called an "unimaginable tragedy." The previous day, a 92-year-old man was found dead in his flooded home in the northern Piedmont region, the fire brigade said. "Intense and abundant" rain had drenched the north of Italy, turning to snow above 1,800 metres (5,905 feet) altitude, official said. In the French resort of Val Thorens, a woman had a heart attack after being buried by an avalanche, authorities said. And in Tignes, authorities ordered residents to stay indoors after more than 1.1 metres (three and a half feet) of snow fell overnight. "All cars are covered up to the roof... Just walking outside is worrying," said Mathis, a hotel employee in Tignes. Avalanche risk was hiked to its maximum level in several regions, shutting down several ski areas. The 36,000 people in the Swiss town of Sion were also told to stay home. "In such a short time, this is an enormous amount (of snow)," said Yann Geaudry, a retired cross-country ski instructor in the French village of Termignon, who was worried about the risk of floods when the snow melts in the spring sunshine. Many roads were shut in all three countries due to fallen trees or the risk of avalanches. Heavy trucks were banned from using the main Mont Blanc tunnel between France and Italy and dozens that could not get through tunnels were stuck on the A43 highway linking Italy and France. Trains were also affected, and at one point more than 3,300 homes in France and 5,000 households in Italy were left without power, according to authorities. "It's truly exceptional," said Didier Beauchet, a retiree who has lived in Lanslebourg in Savoie for 40 years. "I must have seen that only five times," he told AFP, as motorists around him worked to free their snow-covered cars. burs-yad/giv
Local Italy
18-04-2025
- Climate
- Local Italy
LATEST: Two dead as flash floods hit Italy's northern Veneto region
The bodies of two people who had been reported missing on Thursday were found by rescue workers on Friday morning, according to Italian newspaper La Repubblica. The two residents, whom Italian media described as being father and son, "were swept away in their car near their home" in Valdagno, a small town northwest of Vicenza, according to Italy's fire service. The Agno stream, which runs through Valdagno, burst its banks late on Thursday after the area was lashed by torrential rainfall for hours on end. This triggered widespread flooding at multiple locations across town, with water surging through the streets and sweeping vehicles away. According to Il Fatto Quotidiano, the two victims were assisting the local Civil Protection service in the Ponte dei Nori area when their car was submerged and dragged away by flood water. Veneto's President Luca Zaia said on Friday morning that the situation in the Vicenza province continued to be "critical". Heavy rainfall pummelled the north of Italy on Thursday, with swathes of Piedmont and the Aosta Valley hit by flash floods. A 92-year-old man was found dead in Monteu da Po, northeast of Turin, after he remained trapped inside his home following severe flooding, according to Italian media reports. The victim was believed to have drowned, reports said. Piedmont President Alberto Cirio said late on Thursday that he had asked the government to declare a regional state of emergency to address 'the significant damage' caused by the wave of extreme weather. Italian news agency Ansa said that 6,400 households in the region were without electricity on Friday morning.
CBC
20-03-2025
- Sport
- CBC
60 athletes to test Cortina's controversial Olympic sliding track next week
The track's essential structure is done. The ice is being prepared. And next week, 60 athletes are slated to test the controversial sliding centre for next year's Milan-Cortina Olympics. "The track's structure is done. We had it in our calendars to finish by March 16 and that's when it was finished," Fabio Saldini, the government commissioner in charge of rebuilding the century-old track in Cortina d'Ampezzo, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Construction workers celebrated Sunday's milestone by laying down a branch of an evergreen tree across the track. "The tree branch represents a starting point, like when [bobsled] teams get ready to push off before launching themselves down the track," said Luca Zaia, president of the Veneto region that includes Cortina. "I hope that the enthusiasm builds minute by minute in a crescendo worthy of an event of this magnitude." Twenty workers preparing ice on the track day and night are slated to finish by Sunday. Then starting on Monday, bobsled, luge and skeleton athletes will perform test runs in order to secure preliminary certification, homologation is the technical word, for the track. Also coming are 26 coaches, plus officials from the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, International Luge Federation, and the International Olympic Committee. Even preliminary approval would go a long way toward avoiding a backup Plan B option the IOC had demanded and which would require moving the three sliding sports all the way to Lake Placid, N.Y., if the track in Italy wasn't finished in time. "As of today, 50 per cent of the ice is ready," Saldini said. "We had some trouble last week due to high temperatures, rain and snow. But then we covered the track with nets and yesterday we actually put down too much ice." Security has been increased around the track since a refrigeration tube was removed and placed across a road in a reported act of sabotage last month, according to the government agency, Simico. Besides the sliding events, Cortina will also host women's alpine skiing and curling during the Winter Games. Pre-fabricated mobile homes that will host up to 1,400 athletes in an athletes' village in Cortina are being put in place this month. The mobile homes will also be used for athletes during the Paralympics.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Cortina's controversial Olympic sliding track slated for test runs by 60 athletes next week
ROME (AP) — The track's essential structure is done. The ice is being prepared. And next week, 60 athletes are slated to test the controversial sliding center for next year's Milan-Cortina Olympics. 'The track's structure is done. We had it in our calendars to finish by March 16 and that's when it was finished,' Fabio Saldini, the government commissioner in charge of rebuilding the century-old track in Cortina d'Ampezzo, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Construction workers celebrated Sunday's milestone by laying down a branch of an evergreen tree across the track. 'The tree branch represents a starting point, like when (bobsled) teams get ready to push off before launching themselves down the track,' said Luca Zaia, president of the Veneto region that includes Cortina. 'I hope that the enthusiasm builds minute by minute in a crescendo worthy of an event of this magnitude.' Twenty workers preparing ice on the track day and night are slated to finish by Sunday. Then starting on Monday, bobsled, luge and skeleton athletes will perform test runs in order to secure preliminary certification — homologation is the technical word — for the track. Also coming are 26 coaches, plus officials from the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, International Luge Federation, and the International Olympic Committee. Even preliminary approval would go a long way toward avoiding a backup Plan B option that the IOC had demanded and which would require moving the three sliding sports all the way to Lake Placid, New York, if the track in Italy wasn't finished in time. 'As of today, 50% of the ice is ready,' Saldini said. 'We had some trouble last week due to high temperatures, rain and snow. But then we covered the track with nets and yesterday we actually put down too much ice.' Security has been increased around the track since a refrigeration tube was removed and placed across a road in a reported act of sabotage last month, according to the government agency, Simico. Besides the sliding events, Cortina will also host women's Alpine skiing and curling during the Winter Games. Pre-fabricated mobile homes that will host up to 1,400 athletes in an Athletes' Village in Cortina are being put in place this month. The mobile homes will also be used for athletes during the Paralympics. ___ AP Olympics:
Associated Press
18-03-2025
- Climate
- Associated Press
Cortina's controversial Olympic sliding track slated for test runs by 60 athletes next week
ROME (AP) — The track's essential structure is done. The ice is being prepared. And next week, 60 athletes are slated to test the controversial sliding center for next year's Milan-Cortina Olympics. 'The track's structure is done. We had it in our calendars to finish by March 16 and that's when it was finished,' Fabio Saldini, the government commissioner in charge of rebuilding the century-old track in Cortina d'Ampezzo, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Construction workers celebrated Sunday's milestone by laying down a branch of an evergreen tree across the track. 'The tree branch represents a starting point, like when (bobsled) teams get ready to push off before launching themselves down the track,' said Luca Zaia, president of the Veneto region that includes Cortina. 'I hope that the enthusiasm builds minute by minute in a crescendo worthy of an event of this magnitude.' Twenty workers preparing ice on the track day and night are slated to finish by Sunday. Then starting on Monday, bobsled, luge and skeleton athletes will perform test runs in order to secure preliminary certification — homologation is the technical word — for the track. Also coming are 26 coaches, plus officials from the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, International Luge Federation, and the International Olympic Committee. Even preliminary approval would go a long way toward avoiding a backup Plan B option that the IOC had demanded and which would require moving the three sliding sports all the way to Lake Placid, New York, if the track in Italy wasn't finished in time. 'As of today, 50% of the ice is ready,' Saldini said. 'We had some trouble last week due to high temperatures, rain and snow. But then we covered the track with nets and yesterday we actually put down too much ice.' Security has been increased around the track since a refrigeration tube was removed and placed across a road in a reported act of sabotage last month, according to the government agency, Simico. Besides the sliding events, Cortina will also host women's Alpine skiing and curling during the Winter Games. Pre-fabricated mobile homes that will host up to 1,400 athletes in an Athletes' Village in Cortina are being put in place this month. The mobile homes will also be used for athletes during the Paralympics. ___
