Civil Protection Minister Nello
Musumeci said Tuesday that it will not be possible to reopen the
regional highlight to the town of Cogne for at least a month
after the torrential rain that caused massive flooding and
mudslides in the Aosta Valley and Piedmont at the weekend.
"That road is important, strategic and I fear it will not be
possible to put it right and fit for use within a month,"
Musumeci told Sky television.
Hundreds of tourists have had to be evacuated from the town on
the slopes of the Gran Paradiso mountain via helicopter as the
road was blocked and destroyed at several points due to
mudslides and flood waters.
The remaining 300 tourists are set to be airlifted out on
Tuesday.
"It's a disaster within the disaster because Cogne and that
whole area live off seasonal tourism and this calamity arrived
during a promising season," Musumeci said.
The aqueduct that brings water to the town has been repaired but
Mayor Franco Allera has advised residents to boil the water
before drinking for now it as a precaution.
Musumeci said the climate crisis means that extreme weather
events like this should "no longer be considered exceptional.
"We must get used to living with them, which means implementing
a serious prevention campaign," the minister added.
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