Tuesday, 13 November 2012

Video: Helicopter flood rescue in Tuscany caught on helmet cam

Following heavy rains and strong winds parts of central Italy, including Tuscany and Umbria, have been submerged by flood waters. In the dramatic footage, a firefighter winches a person to safety from the rooftop of their flooded home. 


In Tuscany, 200 people had to be evacuated or rescued from their rooftops. In the town of Grosseto in central Italy, three people died when their car fell from a collapsed bridge during the heavy rain. According to the regional government, 23 centimeters (9 inches) of rain fell in just 4 hours in the region, causing the Ricortola and Parmignola rivers to flood. 
 
In the Umbria area, more than 100 people were forced to flee their homes and take refuge in emergency shelters, and one man has died.
Helicopter rescue captured on helmet cam.
In the towns of Albinia and Orbetello, thousands have been left without power and are cut off by the rising waters.
 
The above video shows a rescue, literally from the firefighters' viewpoint, of a resident in Albinia.  
 
A badly affected region was Massa Carrara. In this area some 50 people were evacuated and a car was carried away by an overflowing vehicle. The couple in the vehicle were fortunately rescued by firefighters. 
 
Roberto Pucci, mayor of Massa Carrara in Tuscany said, "It has been devastating." Pucci told the Corriere della Sera newspaper, "I saw at least six bridges destroyed in the hills, floods, landslides, vineyards and olive groves swept away. If there hasn't been a death it's a miracle." 
 
Flooding is also being experienced again in the popular tourist city of Venice, as the bad weather hits northern Italy. Digital Journal reported on recent flooding in the area, which has been worsened by the current weather. Shops, homes and historic palaces filled with water in and authorities said 70 percent of the city was overwhelmed by the floods.
 
The bad weather is reportedly heading towards the center of the country and it about to hit Rome. Civil defense forces are already on the alert.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/336760#ixzz2C8fk7F3y

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