ROME - A violent storm hit eastern Sicily on Thursday night, forcing people to abandon their homes and take refuge on roofs. Areas most affected were Francoforte, Lentini and Sigonella, where streets resembled “rivers” and cars were swamped. Irrevocable damage was caused to shops and houses, and many roads were temporarily blocked off, including a stretch of the SS417 in Mineo and the SS385 in Palagonia.

 Firefighters and divers were immediately called to the scene, while Navy helicopters rescued residents stranded on their roofs.

 Though no casualties have so far been reported, the floods were so powerful that they submerged a fire engine in the town of Piana. Firefighters were trapped inside for three hours before being rescued by colleagues, as water levels reached as high as a metre and a half. Despite being worn out, they continued to help others after being rescued.

 An occupant of another car destroyed in the storm said, “the water came suddenly, we crashed into the guardrail and we were afraid we would die, I got out through the window and then the Carabinieri came to rescue us."

 Officials across Syracuse are still assessing the degree of damage inflicted upon the area. Giovanni Selvaggi, President of Catania’s General Confederation of Agriculture, said, “the entire orange and olive production has been destroyed in some places, yet the thing we are most concerned about is the damage that has been caused to plants.”

 He continued, “we hope that institutions across Italy will respect our request for help. We are currently dealing with an emergency that, if not treated quickly, could have very serious repercussions on economy and employment.”

 fh