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.
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