«We are trying to provide answers to everyone»

Operational meeting, in Ragalna, inside the Town Hall, regarding the activities of damage monitoring caused by the earthquake on Wednesday morning in the Etnean municipality. An earthquake of magnitude 4.5 that caused damage to private homes, municipal buildings, and the two churches present in the small foothill center. Damage also occurred in nearby Santa Maria di Licodia.

The meeting was attended by Catania Prefect, Pietro Signoriello; present were Mayor Nino Caruso, the members of the Council, including the one for Civil Protection, Rita Vitaliti. A table that included technicians from the Municipality, personnel from the regional Civil Protection, and the firefighters from the provincial command of Etna.

The firefighters teams have conducted, continuously, inspections on various buildings and along the main roads of the municipal territory. Outside the Municipality, a Local Unit has been activated by the provincial command of the firefighters, serving as an advanced command post and a point of coordination for managing rescue requests from citizens.

"Since the beginning of the emergency, we have carried out - the provincial command of the firefighters reports - almost 60 rescue interventions, and just over 270 are pending. The areas of the Municipality of Ragalna most affected continue to be the Santa Barbara area and the San Francesco village." Currently, five teams are operating along with three technical officials, a ladder truck, as well as specialized technical personnel and operational staff dedicated to the computerized management of cartography (Tas, Applied Topography for Rescue).

After the meeting at the town hall, Prefect Signoriello conducted an inspection, accompanied by Mayor Caruso, in piazza Cisterna where the Madonna del Carmelo church is located, whose belfry needs to be secured, having sustained significant damage. Its demolition cannot be ruled out, once the opinion of the Superintendency is heard.

"All institutions have responded immediately to this earthquake - said Prefect Signoriello - There are still checks ongoing. At this moment, the Prefecture is performing a support function, realizing that the local community, with the forces available, is capable of ensuring all necessary responses. Moreover, there is a very important presence of both firefighters and police forces. At the moment, I believe this is sufficient to provide a response," concluded the prefect. Mayor Caruso expressed satisfaction with the presence of the prefect: "All checks are underway, we have to address 350 inspection requests in the territory. Today schools will reopen. Some buildings are uninhabitable, but the owners have found hospitality from friends and relatives."