Cogne's isolation ends 28 days after devastating floods

(ANSA) - ROME, JUL 27 - The isolation imposed on Cogne by devastating floods on June 29 ended on Saturday when the regional highway connecting the Aosta Valley town on the slopes of the Gran Paradiso mountain to the outside world reopened after it was badly damaged by the extreme weather.
    Almost 1,800 tourists had to be evacuated from the town by helicopter due to the town being cut off.
    The reopening of the highway is important for the local economy, which relies on tourism.
    Hotels, restaurants and shops are ready to welcome visitors again after supplies and employees was taken up the Cogne earlier in the week.
    Cogne was hit by a wave of extreme weather, which claimed lives in Switzerland and France, and also clobbered Piedmont and other parts of the Aosta Valley, prompting the regional government to request a state of emergency be declared.
    Scientists say the climate crisis caused by human greenhouse gas emissions is making extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, supercharged storms and flooding more frequent and more intense.
    Although there are many sources of the greenhouse gases that are causing global heating, the main driver is the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal, sales of which generate huge profits for the world's energy giants. (ANSA).