Lake Garda Flood Damage Assessment and Relief Efforts Underway
EMERGENCY & BAD WEATHER The government has recognized a state of disaster and has urged all municipalities to assess damages caused by the flooding. Requests must be submitted to the Regione (Region) by Monday, December 18.
Damage Control at Lake Garda
Lake Garda is assessing the damages. Private individuals will need to fill out a form to qualify for compensation.
The tale of numbers. There is no uniformity in dates or timing among the various municipalities around Lake Garda involved in calculating the damages caused by the rising water levels of the lake. Essentially, for now, it’s a case of “flying by the seat of the pants.”
Some, like Malcesine, Bardolino, Garda, and Torri, have already informed their populations via circulars or wall notices about the possibility for affected individuals to report damages and “estimated repair or restoration costs” to their respective technical offices.
Requests must be filled out using a specific form provided to the administrations by the Division for Land Defense and Civil Protection of the region, which is preparing a restoration plan for affected structures.
In practical terms, following the presidential decree of the Council of Ministers from October 27 — which declared “a state of calamity in the territories of the Regions affected by bad weather until December 31, 2001” — the offices of Civil Protection in Venice are preparing a mapping of interventions and expenses necessary to repair the Lake Garda flooding.
While in Malcesine the affected parties have until December 10 to submit their applications, Bardolino and Garda have set the deadline for December 11. Both towns have already issued notices.
Additionally, a deadline is set for Torri, on December 22 by 1:00 PM. Meanwhile, Lazise has yet to issue a public notice.
Comments and Statements from Officials
“Indeed,” openly explains Mayor Luca Sebastiano, “no official communication has yet been issued because, aside from three or four flooded wineries, we have not detected significant damages to private individuals in the territory. Affected persons are already aware they can submit requests to the Town Hall.”
It will then be our responsibility to verify the validity of the expenses incurred and forward them to the Region. On the other hand, the situation regarding public infrastructure remains to be defined, as we need to wait for the lake level to drop further before compiling a report on damages along the lakeside promenade.”
The only certain aspect at the moment is some confusion regarding dates and timelines, which seems to involve everyone, despite the meeting held on November 30 — in the Red Room of the Verona Province — between the regional assessor Massimo Giorgetti and local administrators from the Benaco area.
According to what was discovered yesterday morning, after a complex series of phone calls in the Venetian offices, the deadline remains December 18. By that date, the municipalities are required to submit all necessary documentation to the Region.
However, note that every expense incurred must be accompanied by proper supporting documentation, to qualify for potential reimbursement based on regional financial availability. These provisions include a deductible of approximately two million euros.
Thus, there are possibilities — but not guarantees — that affected parties can recover part of the costs related to the high water event.
Positions of Local Authorities
“The first step is a thorough survey of damages suffered by private individuals,” explains Massimo Giorgetti, the regional assessor, by phone from Rome. “This is a preparatory action for future disbursement of state or regional contributions.”
In recent days in Belluno, I met with the Director of the Civil Protection Agency, Barberi, to discuss the problems created in our territory following the recent bad weather.”