Snow causes chaos in Abruzzo while Pescara floods

Heavy snowfall causes chaos throughout Italy

 ROME -- A quarter of the population of Abruzzo are without light due to heavy snowfall causing problems to the electricity network, leading the government to send in the army Wednesday to help the situation.

 Around 200,000 people have been left without light and 5,000 are without water as the recent snowy weather continues to hit Abruzzo the hardest. The mayors of the hardest hit areas, Teramo and Chieti have been especially insistent on the deployment of the army to help their particularly badly hit areas.

 Parallel to the snow crisis in Abruzzo, Pescara is undergoing a flooding emergency as the river Pescara began overflowing rapidly at 4:30 am Wednesday -- the use of cars in the area is currently advised against.

 Other regions such as le Marche, Tuscany, Piedmont, Veneto and a good part of the south have been hit by the cold wind and snow.

 So far Puglia has seen the only death related to the wave of bitter cold; a 67-year-old man who froze to death in his car in Ceglie Massapica. At this stage, it seems that he fell asleep in the vehicle and the cold caused his death.

 Now the worry for many is whether heavy goods vehicles can reach their destinations with so many roads closed, whilst other amenities such as schools and hospitals have been affected as well. These problems on the road have also affected motorways in Umbria, Abruzzo and Marche and the role of troops will be to clear the roads in areas affected, according to the Defence Minister, Roberta Pinotti.

 Despite the dramatic situation, Enel energy firm has confirmed that the situation has been resolved for 100,000 clients and that others shall be helped in the coming days.

 nkd-tl

The river Pescara overflows