MESSINA – Violent storms struck Sicily, flooding numerous towns and trapping residents in their cars and homes, police said Monday. A minor eruption on Stromboli then caused a small tsunami only a day later.

 On Saturday heavy rain and strong winds ravaged the Tyrrhenian coast of the Messinese commune.  Floodwaters transformed streets into raging torrents, submerged basements and houses, and trapped people in their cars and homes. Sections of roads were destroyed in the towns of Milazzo and Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto. In Terme Vigliatore, a bridge partially collapsed and a gaping hole opened up in the Via Lungomare Marchese when the retaining wall beneath caved in. 

 The mayor of Milazzo, Poppo Midili, said that the damages done to infrastructure and public roads exceeded 1 million euros. This figure would rise considerably with damage to private property taken into account. 

 Firefighters and civil protection forces intervened in Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, the town worst hit in the extreme weather. Additionally, a stretch of the A20 motorway was closed on Saturday evening as a precaution.

 On the nearby island of Stromboli, the eponymous volcano resumed activity on Sunday. Around 3:15 p.m. there was a loud explosion followed by the descent of pyroclastic material down the mountainside and into the Tyrrhenian sea. The volcanic activity caused a small tsunami, roughly a metre and a half tall. Earlier the same day, an earthquake of 4.6 magnitude had also been recorded in the region.

 Sirens sounded on the island, but local authorities said the eruption caused neither damage to property nor injury to residents. 

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