2.11.11

Vernazza: Good News and Bad News

   Posted from culturalcomments.blogspot.com:


The clean-up effort is progressing at an amazing speed!


The tireless work of the people can be seen with a clean piazza that is now acting as a command center and food service area.

Il Ristorante Gambero Rosso
 
Many businesses are now accessible, like this one, where my husband worked for years and my father-in-law helped remodel. More good news today was the joyful recovery of a beloved dog, still alive after being trapped for a week. 
 
  
The townspeople, the volunteers, the military and emergency workers have all excavated and cleaned into the wee hours of the morning, filling barges to haul away debris.


The massive machinery that has been brought into this tiny village has certainly been impressive.
   
  
Each of these huge machines can do the work of a hundred people, moving and clearing debris. And clearing debris helps to find things buried beneath.

  
Recovering an intact boat can be high point, which helps provide a small slice of normalcy for those whose lives have been devastated.
  
  
Seeing the boats lined up by the water again, even if only a few, can warm their hearts and give them encouragement to carry on.


The church, just off the piazza, has been converted into a warehouse for supplies, drinking water and blankets. It also acts as a respite to catch a bit of rest. Its baptistery room has been converted for fist aid and chiropractic treatments for the workers.
  
  
Below is one of the structural victims of the storm--look familiar?
 
    
We lost the little stone bridge over the grotto. Once the picturesque spot to admire while eating your gelato, or to snap a photo while standing over a hole in the mountain side with a view of the blue see below. Now it's gone.
 
  
Notice the large green tank? That was the propane tank at the top of the hill, providing gas for the entire village. It was ripped out by the landslide and taken for a long, destructive ride, traveling over two kilometers and out of that hole to this final resting place. I guess we can blame the tank for taking out the little bridge. 

But there is a bright side...a new addition...
 

Vernazza will have a new beach! Thanks to that hole with a view to the sea, the landslide has filled in an area that has always wanted to be a beach. If only it had happened under better circumstances. 
The tank taketh...the beach giveth.
  
  
But the losses, at this point, still outweigh the gains. There are still three people missing, even with rescue crews searching the sea. In Monterosso, they just had a funeral for the only victim of the flood, a volunteer worker that was trying to help protect the town. For more information, visit LittleParadiso blog.
  
Reads: Here is the house at via Gavino

Many homes have been lost completely or just rendered uninhabitable. The house above completely collapsed.


But even though buildings can be rebuilt, memories cannot. 


A fellow American living in the area gave the best description of the depth of sentimental value of these homes: 
"I think we Americans, even when we visit Italy repeatedly, or even live here, need constant reminders of the depth of Italian culture when it comes to connecting with people and place. Our culture is so different. We sell our houses, we "hi-ho" our neighbors from our driveways, we make appointments to see each other, and by the end of an hour or so, we want a happy ending.

In little towns like Monterosso al Mare or Vernazza, you see everyone you know every day. Everybody talks to everybody. Almost everybody lives in a house their grandfather or great-grandfather lived in and died in. When I rented my furnished apartment, my landlady pointed to the huge double bed that came with it and said "I was born there!"

When all that washes away, and your neighbors have to pack up go to La Spezia, even though that is just 20 minutes away, something is truly no more." 
Losing or having to evacuate their homes is more painful then we can even understand--and yet they carry on.
 

The structural stability of many of the buildings is uncertain. The stream that the road was built over has eroded the ground beneath the foundations, and the force of the landslide and the impact of cars and other large debris has added to the problem.


Engineers are inspecting the foundations and have already ordered the evacuation of some buildings for fear of collapse. They are being extra prudent in these early stages, but let's hope that things can be fixed with only minor intervention.


With all the work accomplished, there is still so much more to be done.


The roads are still a disaster zone and as I write this, weather reports are predicting a new wave of violent storms and turbulent seas at the end of the week. All of Vernazza and part of Monterosso will be evacuated as a precautionary measure. There is still a lot of loose dirt and mud at the top of the town, so in the event of another landslide, they want to make sure everyone is safe.
 

At this point, all we can do is pray that the work that has been done does not get undone and that the rest of the mountain holds its ground. Maybe with enough prayers, wishes and positive thinking, we can manifest clear, dry skies.
 

I want to give a big round of applause for the tireless work everyone has been doing; locals, volunteers and emergency crews alike.


Organized groups of volunteers have come from other local towns like La Spezia, Levanto and Riomaggiore to join the locals and work knee-deep in cold mud. There is still no gas or running water in town, and yet the people continue on, cold and dirty, but with smiles on their faces.
  
   
The above photo is of a volunteer group that joined Vernazza to help clean. A Vernazzan commented on this photo to  thank them for being so great. But then someone from this group responded: “In all modesty, you guys are great. I saw people today that had nothing left, but they still lead the battle and then drank a glass of wine together with us and made us feel like one of them.” If that doesn’t sum up the Italian spirit, I don’t know what does. Siete tutti grandi!
     
   
This photo was posted with the note: “This is what we will return to…” 
Vernazza, the Pearl of the Cinque Terre.

For information on how to help, click here.

30.10.11

Disaster Strikes Vernazza!

Posted from culturalcomments.blogspot.com:
  
   
It has been almost a week since the mountain above Vernazza came crashing down upon this picturesque village. Tuesday, October 25, started as most mornings do, with errands and preparation for the lunch hour. The first of the rainy season’s storms was pouring down rain as usual for a late October day. The town’s people were about their business, going to the bank at the top of the hill, having caffĂ© at the Blue Marlin Bar and my father-in-law was setting up for a long day of work remodeling a building on the mountain side. Everything seemed normal, but the rain was coming down so hard, the street had turned into a rushing stream. My father-in-law and the other workers had problems operating their equipment in such heavy rain, so they wisely decided to call it a day and head home.
    
      
The rain kept pouring down until the village became a rushing river. The cars in the parking lot above town began to get swept up by the water. The strong current carried cars and trucks down into town like they were nothing but toys. Some locals looked on from their balconies with disbelief as their cars rushed by below them.
  
  
And the rain kept coming down…until the unthinkable happened. Around 3pm, the mountain above gave way and like a dirt tsunami, the earth plowed down, sweeping up everything in its path, pushing around the corner in a rush of flowing water, rocks, mud and cars. Smashing into the walls as the road turns and bottlenecks, a house collapsed from the pressure. The flow instantly eliminated the children’s playground before smashing into the bridge of the train station, burying the tracks and filling the second story tunnels with debris. The concrete and iron was no match for the fury of the landslide. It continued on, barreling down Via Roma, engulfing every business along the way, sparing nothing and no one.
  
   
Some people had to flee to avoid getting carried away; many made it to safety—some did not. Some saw their loved ones swept away before their very eyes. The raging landslide continued on, destroying what was left of this Unesco World Heritage Site. The monstrous earth poured into the piazza like a wild animal set loose and dumped all the cars, dirt, debris and boats into the sea.
    
Notice the street lamp and telephone lines in relation to the ground
   
A path of destruction lay in its wake.
   

The Blue Marlin Bar, destroyed.
   

The little bottega food store, destroyed.
   
This is a two-story portico
  
The Gianni Franzi Ristorante, destroyed.
   
This guy is standing in front of a balcony!
Everything on the ground floor, from the top of the mountain to the end of the piazza is destroyed. The debris filled the narrow street of the village up to the second floor, burying the ground floor as if it never existed. With all the doors buried below 9-10 feet of debris, people needed to climb out of their windows and balconies to get out.
   
   
All roads in and out of Vernazza were washed away, the train tracks buried and people were left with no water, no gas, no electricity and no cell service. The outside world had no news, no contact, no information at all. In a terrifying wave of destruction, Vernazza had been completely severed from the rest of the world.
     
The ground is above the first story
   
The following day, news slowly seeped into La Spezia, the nearby city, as a few survivors arrived by boat. Those of us with friends and family in Vernazza were aware that the storm had cause terrible damage, but we had no idea of the scope of devastation. Emergency boats were sent with first-aid supplies and drinking water. As word got out, volunteers started coming with boots, shovels and plenty of cigarettes.
   
   
By Friday, the protezione civile (Italy's version of a National Guard) started an organized response with registered volunteers, earth-moving equipment and rescue helicopters. For days and nights people have been working non-stop to dig Vernazza out of the rubble.

    
My heart was crushed to think about what my friends in Vernazza were going through and to see the images and hear the stories made it that much more devastating. As of now, there are still four people missing.
    
   
Rick Steves, who can be credited for putting the Cinque Terre on the map, has written a lovely piece in his November Newsletter on the shocking devastation. He put it best when he said:
“as I read emails from Vernazzan friends and look at the horrifying photos and videos of the disaster, I feel I've lost a friend. In fact, looking at the photos — store fronts ripped off and fishing boats crumbled on rocks — I get this ghastly feeling that these are photos of a crime scene...and that nature has murdered my friend.” 
   
But from the depths of despair for a treasure lost to destruction, rays of hope begin to shine through.
   
   
Only 120 hours after the landslide, the river that had reclaimed it’s original route through town has been redirected, the ground is now visible in the piazza and the rail lines are getting cleared.
    
   
Firefighters, civil protection, the Red Cross and countless volunteers have joined the locals in the rescue effort. My husband joined them this weekend helping to clear the debris, and even though he says it will take years to bring Vernazza back to it’s glory, I feel hopeful and positive for a bright future.
    
    
Messages of support and love have poured in from all over the world. Facebook has been a great way for people to share information, photos and support. It has also been the only means of detailed information due to almost zero news coverage on Vernazza. Those of us on the outside have been able stay updated thanks to people on the ground like Giuliano Pucci, who took these photos, and Facebook groups like Riomaggiorese Nel Mondo.
   
   
Of the five villages, only Vernazza and Monterosso have sustained damages. Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore are fine. For more information and pictures on the extensive damages to Monterosso, visit Little Paradiso Blog. There were also several other towns with massive damage and flooding throughout Liguria and western Tuscany. Towns like Brugnato and Aulla, which are located along the flooded Magra river, were nearly destroyed and left without electricity, gas and water. They each have their own rescue efforts in full swing.
   
    
Vernazza has made a place in people’s hearts all over the planet and many have been asking how they can help. If you would like to donate money to help the victims and the rebuilding of Vernazza and Monterosso, a fund has been set up by the Municipality of Monterosso at their official bank, Carispezia of Levanto.
-For transfers within Italy: Codice IBAN: IT64 W060 3049 8700 0004 6275 829

-For Transfers outside of Italy: SWIFT: CRFIIT2S365 
 *Please make a note on your transfer: “Help for Monterosso and Vernazza”.
The Italian Red Cross has also set up a disaster relief fund for the entire area affected by this storm and you can donate by credit card directly on their website: http://cri.it/flex/FixedPages/IT/Donazioni.php/L/EN
-Select “Emergency Tuscany and Liguria” 
There has been many requests for donating specifically to Vernazza, and a new organization has been set up called "Per Vernazza Fortuna"

Funds can be wired directly to the following account:

UBI Bank of San Giorgio
Via Chiodo, 115
La Spezia, Italy
IBAN: IT37QZ552610730000000001616
BIC: BPGGITG1
SWIFT: BLOPIT22

***For more information on Per Vernazza Furtuna, click here.***
     
    
But The most important thing you can do to help is to support the 5 Terre with your business. The shops and restaurants are destroyed for the time being, but all the rooms are located well above any damage and should be unscathed. Vernazza should be open for business next season, so come back and visit soon and tell everyone you know to visit!
   
    
Sunday afternoon the workers were rewarded with a hot lunch all together in their piazza. Spirits are up and there is such a strong commradery to bring Vernazza back. The best thing they have though, is the amazing Italian heart and soul of the people and the generous outpouring of love and support to keep them going strong. Vernazza will come back from this and continue to win the hearts of new generations to come. FORZA RAGAZZI!!!