Cyclone Harry, after the emergency mayors raise the alarm: funds, deregulation, and urgent measures are needed

“We have managed the emergency phase well, it has been overcome, but now we need to verify the after and the after worries me a lot. Therefore, I ask for the possibility to implement projects, to streamline everything that is blocking us and the possibility of having money and resources.” This is how the mayor of Melito di Porto Salvo, in the province of Reggio Calabria, Tito Nastasi, stated during the hearing in the Environment Committee at the Chamber, as part of the bad weather decree.

An appeal also shared by the other mayors of the areas affected by cyclone Harry last January. “We are risking compromising the summer season: an induced of about 2 billion euros of GDP linked to the beach establishments that have been completely destroyed and that are currently resuming their activities following interventions that we have made available as a Municipality,” added the mayor of Taormina, Cateno De Luca, speaking about the Taormina, Letojanni, Giardini Naxos district.

Among the “critical issues” illustrated was also the appointment of sub-commissioners which “is not provided for by the ordinance, for us it is a serious shortcoming considering the large number of municipalities,” he emphasized. For the mayor of Santa Teresa di Riva, in the province of Messina, Danilo Lo Giudice, it is necessary to “organize the reconstruction, because it is still not being fully discussed.”

The president of Anci Calabria, Simona Scarcella, then listed some proposals for amendments to the relief decree for the regions affected by the bad weather. Among these: “the postponement to the year immediately following 2026 of the payment of the due installments,” regarding the loans contracted with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, “considering the situation of extreme difficulties in which local authorities find themselves.” Then “the extension of the suspension of deadlines regarding tax and contribution obligations and payments.” As for Niscemi, the president of Anci Sicily, Paolo Amenta, then reported that “the amendment proposes the exemption from IMU payment for all uninhabitable buildings affected by the disaster.”

Furthermore, the president of Anci Sardinia, Daniela Falconi, requested, among other things, "that a fund for the management of posidonia be established, especially for waste management."