A small ray of sunshine - a small ray of hope

[ErmesT]

A small ray of sunshine, is what I want to talk about.

A small ray of sunshine, after a week of Apocalypse. 8 to 14 millions of trees has fallen down, in five days of what has been called “the perfect storm”.

I am arrived at home one week ago, on October 27, after the amazing experience of Connect Live 18.

The “red alert” was rised up on Sunday: the “perfect storm” was coming, expected to impact on the north of Italy on the following Monday. Hot and wet winds from south, encountering, over the alps, the cold wind coming from the north of Europe.

All the schools were closed for three days. 400 to 700 mm of waters, wind speed at 150 km/h in the Alps. The wind from south was pushing the water from the sea back on the rivers, causing an high tide of 1500 mm (one and a half meter) in Venice. The Basilica of San Marco has been completely flooded

We are back to 1966, 52 years ago. It sounds strange to me, to read this post now “November 4, 1966 - floods in Florence and Venice - The "Angels of Mud”

A week later, a small ray of sunshine. The water is slowly flowing down, and we can make a balance of the situation

Mud, is what I have found yesterday, along the Piave river. Mud that is covering everything

The situation still very critical in the Alps, with a lot of landslides, and the Winter coming.

As I said, and this is the real Apocalypse, 8 to 14 millions of trees has fallen down. Trees that in part are already arrived on the seaside. Most of them are on the lakes.

Here a video, posted on youtube by Gerry de Zolt, about the situation in Val Visdende. I know the area very well, so I am very, very sad

[edit: the video cannot be embedded, but you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/or27vTVDFaw]

We are not going in the Alps now. Our presence will not be helpful in there, in this moment.

But we will follow the situation.

A small ray of sunshine, is what we are looking for.

Thank you Google Maps for updating constantly the situation of the roads. A first step of Mapping for Emergency

Ermes

[TorM]

Hallo @ErmesT ,

yes, it is very sad what has happened in Italy. Maybe it is, because we humans has destroyed the world…

I believe that we will face more and more such natural catastrophes, some we can’t have an impact like earthquakes, but weather for sure and it is not enough to hope. We need to act!

[PaulPavlinovich]

It is very sad @ErmesT , the world changes and we must change with it. The trees will grow back fortunately. The livelihood of the places buried in mud not so much. The only good news is that mud will be very fertile and provide great growing medium for crops.

[YasumiKikuchi]

It is a sad story @ErmesT
I think so. There is no one who did not encounter a disaster.

[helga19]

It is very sad situation!

More than 10 million trees has already broked. Many people lost their houses after flooding and terrible storm.

San Marco Square was flooded. I watch the video on YouTube

It is sorrow.I always follow the channal Global News.I know about the event in Venice and in mountain region.

But hope is always! I believe ,the sun and blue sky will be over the this Italian rerion.!

I wish you a lot of sunny days ,clear sky and Iwish this situation never repeat again.

My best wishes @ErmesT

[ErmesT]

Action is a long list of small steps, @TorM

The first step is awareness, that seems missing in several cases.

Climate change is impacting the whole planet, and I don’t know if we can move it back. But for sure we can reduce the impact. With small, individual actions, and creating a global awareness

[KarenVChin]

@ErmesT , I have been watching the news here about your area. The flooding in Venice, but did not know about the millions of trees! This is so sad to read. Hopefully, winter will not be so disastrous and destructive.

Glad to see you are using Google Maps to help map the current roads situation. I’m sure this is a lifesaver for so many at this moment in need.

Stay safe, dry, and warm,

Karen

[ErmesT]

Thank you @KarenVChin

Yes, the destruction is impressive. Today I was on the seaside, where the Piave river is entering on the Adriatic sea. I have no words to explain what I saw. I am just arrived home, I am downloading the photos. I will post it soon

[Eire27]

Hello @ErmesT sad news about beautiful Venice and all Italy. The photo from your office of the storm is both Scary and Amazing at the same time. I hope that the Basilica can be saved . It is such a shame about the millions of trees. Flooding is awful and does such lasting damage especially to peoples homes where they sometimes can not live for sometime after and the bacteria from muddy water etc. We had flash flooding a few years ago, the water did a lot of damage to my home and local area but not to the same extent as Italy. Hopefully things will improve for you all in Italy, please God. At times like this I find local communities pull together and help each other, which is one good thing to come out of these situations, human kindness.

[ErmesT]

Thank you @helga19, @Eire27

As I was writing minutes ago to @KarenVChin, we are just back from the Adriatic sea. A sea ot trees, leafs, garbage, plastic, is covering in this moment our beautiful beach.

[Eire27]

Oh terrible, It really must look like an Apocalypse right now to you. A huge clean up ahead @ErmesT

[Eire27]

@ErmesT I hear now on Irish news that 29 people have died in Italy because of the floods, this is so sad. They were talking also of people in Sicily who died in their home. I can’t believe it, my sister and her family were in Rome two and a half weeks ago and it was really warm and blue skies. You never know what a day can bring

[FaridTDF]

@ErmesT , lamento muchísimo leer estas malas noticias, pero soy un positivista empedernido, veamos el vaso medio lleno, como hace @PaulPavlinovich , más adelante el sedimento será una tierra muy fértil y los árboles arrastrados, podrán ser industrializados o por lo menos convertidos en astillas, las casas destruidas podrán ser reconstruidas, lo único que hay que hacer con esto es aprender de la experiencia y no esperar otros 60 años para que llegue una nueva inundación, el drenaje es importante hay que tenerlo por más que sea costoso. Con respecto a los monumentos y obras de arte, creo que muchas puediron ser rescatadas y otras bueno lamentablemente se puede perder algunas, la naturaleza es algo que todavía no podemos controlar, solamente pensar que tenemos que ser previsores sobre esas cosas, recientemente un nuevo satélite único en su especie realizado entre Argentina he Italia el Saocom1A podrá dar mejores lecturas sobre este tipo de situaciones climáticas. Este tipo de acciones pro activas son las que producen cambios en las sociedades. Ahora lamentablemente nos queda dar lo máximo de nuestra parte para ayudar a los damnificados de este gran desastre climatológico. Y Google Maps , con sus mapas de desastres está haciendo lo suyo, gracias Ermes por tu post para poder concientizar y tomar una actitud positiva frente al problema.

Farid

[ErmesT]

What is really impressive, @FaridTDF , is the huge number of volunteers, that are working hard to clean, to open the roads, to help others. Italy pay for years of inactivity about hydrogeology, but in this case, in my area, everything worked as expected. The amount of rain was simply too much. We should be prepared for this kind of events, because what the climatologists said is that in the future this kind of events will be very common

[Sorbe]

Hi @ErmesT

I am really sad and proud at the same time for what is happening in the past weeks. Sad because as usual we have to count victims that are absolutely innocent, proud because in these kinds of tragedy I can always see a sense of community that is really strong.

My hometown, Rapallo, has been literally destroyed by the strength of waves last week but all the citizens instead of complaining they started to help each other and to come back to normality as soon as possible.

[TsekoV]

Thank you @ErmesT for addressing this question. It is really sad that it happens, sadder that even now it happens every day and saddest that we, people, pretend to be blind about this problem and not think it as our problem or priority to handle. Nature in one way or another pays back, but it is sad that people wait until something bad happen then take action.

Hope that everyone sees that small ray of sunshine and starts caring for our own world.

[ErmesT]

There is always a ray of sunshine, @Sorbe , @TsekoV

I have seen the news about the situation in Rapallo.

The ray of sunshine is the people, that is working together to clean, rebuild, taking care of the areas.

We are not waiting for someone “to come and clean”. We need to do it now. Touristic season in the Alps will start in a few weeks. We can’t loose that. Hotel, restaurants, shops, need to be ready now. Everyone is aware of this. Yesterday more than 400 volunteers helped in Belluno, for cleaning and reopening roads. I am very proud of it

[helga19]

Dear @ErmesT

I like your words “” we are not waiting for someone who come and clean.

We need to do it now."

These words are worth to respect.

The words belong to the real citizen of his country.

Instead of thousand words -real action at once.

“Touristic season in Alps will start in a few weeks --there is no time to wait,more than 400 volunteers help to clean.”

I also are proud such people.

I wish more sunny days over your region!

Cheers,

Inga

[ErmesT]

Thank you @helga19

Not very easy, when you have to fight with public permission, but we will try.

@DavidTito , I will write a detailed post about the pollution due to the flood soon

[PaulPavlinovich]

There is always great news that accompanies such sadness @ErmesT - you said it well - the volunteers that appear from nowhere, do what needs to be done then simply vanish again when it is over. The volunteers are that great news because they show that no matter what shitty things we do to one another via climate change or war there will always be those that will give everything for people they probably don’t even know when it is needed.