A state of emergency and extraordinary resources for Sardinia and the other regions affected by Cyclone Harry, including compensation and infrastructure restoration. This is what Democratic Party MP Silvio Lai is calling for, urging immediate national action.
"The news and the mayors' inspections confirm a situation that cannot be addressed with ordinary means alone: precautionary evacuations, flooding, blocked roads, exceptional storm surges, and widespread damage along the most exposed slopes of the island. For this reason , I ask the Government to immediately activate the procedure for declaring a state of emergency of national importance and allocating the first resources for urgent interventions," the parliamentarian urged.
Lai recalls the hundreds of people evacuated, the more than 150 interventions by the fire brigade and the consequences on homes, businesses, roads, coastal defence works and essential services .
I urge the Prime Minister's Office and the National Department of Civil Protection to immediately begin the investigation required by the Civil Protection Code to declare a state of emergency and implement extraordinary measures, starting with emergency interventions and initial compensation.
Lai identified four priorities: immediate assessment of public and private damage ; restoration of roads, bridges, water networks, and facilities; support for evacuated families and affected businesses; and coordination with municipalities for any suspensions or concessions on deadlines and fees in the areas designated by the emergency measure.
The emergency isn't over, and "it's not serious to throw out figures without an expert opinion," the MP emphasizes, "but based on experience and what's emerging, it's realistic to expect an impact in the order of tens of millions of euros in damages , which risk growing." And for this reason , a special tool is needed at the national level, useful for "speeding up procedures and coverage."
This wouldn't be a new initiative, the parliamentarian specifies: "In 2013, after the floods, the Council of Ministers declared a state of emergency for Sardinia. It's the same institutional framework that must be activated today, with the same speed."
