Timpa, safety plan

From the inspection by the technicians of the Regional Civil Protection Department and the municipal administration, in Santa Maria La Scala, following the collapse of the volcanic boulder from the ridge, a preliminary mapping of the landslide was carried out. The terracing stopped the movement of the large boulder that detached from the Timpa wall on the afternoon of last Sunday, falling for about two hundred meters and coming to rest in a private property owned by a farmer who lives not far from the site of the violent impact of the boulder, weighing several tons.

The release of the lava stone block was caused by the heavy rains of recent days and the continuous washing of the ridge by rainwater that falls from State Road 114 towards the seaside district. Such a thing had never been seen before, recounts the owner of the agricultural land, Gioacchino Calì: "Stones weighing 20-30 kilos, never had something so huge come down from the cliff and without the terrace it could have continued its path towards the houses below." On via Grotta delle Colombe, the technicians of the Regional Civil Protection, Nunzio Costa and Giacomo Costantino, took photos at the site of the collapse and made notes for a preliminary damage assessment and to establish the procedures for emergency safety measures. To enclose this part of the Timpa or proceed with retaining walls against possible new rock falls from the cliff, in the analysis of Giuseppe Filetti, former geologist of the Civil Engineering, who has been involved in various safety projects for the Timpa in the past: "The detachment occurred for natural geomorphological reasons - he explains - now we need to understand how and where to intervene, as it is unthinkable to be able to secure the wall with rockfall nets."

At the site of the collapse of the enormous boulder, members of the fifth commission for Public Works and Civil Protection were also present. The mayor, Roberto Barbagallo, outlined the scope of interventions not only in the section affected by the recent collapse but across the entire Timpa wall, which presents various structural weaknesses and requires safety measures, starting with the drainage of rainwater. "Immediately - observes the mayor - we must proceed with the removal of the dangerous stones. Regulating the runoff of water from the Ss 114 along the entire slope is among the priorities that can no longer be postponed."