Italian city ‘brought to its knees’ by power cuts caused by heatwave
Hundreds of thousands people are facing blackouts and are without electricity in Sicily during a scorching heatwave.
Temperatures on the Italian island have soared to 47.6°C, with warnings Catania has been ‘brought to its knees’ by the power cuts.
It is believed the power cuts have been caused by heat damage to underground cables.
Between 200,000 to 300,000 people have been impacted by water pumps stopping but the issue was resolved on Monday morning.
Air conditioned rooms have been set up for the elderly, vulnerable and homeless by local authorities.
Massimiliano Russo, a filmmaker in Catania, told MailOnline: ‘The situation is very challenging. […] ‘The elderly are suffering a lot. Even the restaurateurs, forced to close due to lack of electricity. At present, no major action has been taken to help the city.’
Paola, a local, said: ‘We are in a critical situation. The temperatures are very high and there are no power and water services in many areas of the city.’
Russo, who currently has water but no power, explained: ‘The temperatures are very high.
‘The electrical infrastructure cannot withstand the overload of the city’s air conditioning.
‘The electrical cables cannot withstand the high temperatures and melt.’
Supplier e-distribuzione said in a statement: ‘We find ourselves operating in conditions of exceptional climatic emergency.
‘The temperature of the asphalt on roads was recorded to have hit highs of 50 degrees.
‘This, if added to the high humidity, does not allow the correct dissipation of heat with consequent damage to the underground cables.’
Hundreds of technicians have been employed to address the issue, the company reported.
Civil protection minister Nello Musumeci has blamed the crisis on poor investment in local infrastructure and climate change.
‘We are paying on the one hand for climate change, to which we should have been paying more attention for several years, and on the other for infrastructure that does not appear entirely adequate to the new context,’ he said.
Restaurants, food shops, traders and merchants have been hit badly by the crisis and are relying on frozen food.
Flights to and from the UK to Catania are cancelled until at least July 26 because of a fire at the airport last week.
Meanwhile Palermo airport also on Sicily is currently closed because of a massive wildfire, with air traffic halted until at least 11am.
The temperature on Sicily has come close to the record high of 48.8 Celsius recorded two years ago.
At least 110 people were injured in a violent hailstorm which struck the north of Italy last week.
Elsewhere in Europe, the Greek island of Rhodes has been hit with a deadly heatwave which has caused the evacuation of holidaymakers.
An easyJet pilot issued a terrifying warning to passengers flying out to the baking hot island on Monday.
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