Landslide risk at Piani di Verdabbio: about twenty houses evacuated

The municipal authorities of Cama and Grono ordered the overnight evacuation of an inhabited area at Piani di Verdabbio, in the Pronzin and ai Pian zones, in the Mesolcina Valley, in the Italian-speaking part of canton Graubünden. The decision took into account forecasts from MeteoSwiss, the recommendation of the Graubünden Office for Forests and Natural Hazards, and the current fill level of the Rià de Polon retention basin.

That is what the mayor of Grono, Samuele Censi, told RSI. The measure affects about twenty homes, with a total of 30 to 40 people, and applies from Monday evening at 9pm to Tuesday morning at 7am. For residents who had to leave their homes, the authorities made beds available in the Grono civil protection shelters.

Landslide at Monti Laura, road closed for three weeks

The bad weather also caused a landslide on the night between last Thursday and Friday, near Monti Laura, in the municipality of Roveredo. The landslide occurred just beyond the bridge over the Rià de Trii and led to the immediate closure of the last stretch of the access road to the monti.

The municipality expects the closure to last at least three weeks. Until further notice, Monti di Laura and di Rodas can only be reached via the road through the Arbedo valley, a longer route that complicates travel for those who live or work at higher elevation.

The two measures show how exposed the Moesa region is to the effects of severe weather. Public authorities, from the municipalities to the relevant cantonal office, remain central to managing this risk: from monitoring retention basins to providing shelter for those forced to leave their homes. It remains to be seen what investment will be needed in the coming years to strengthen protective infrastructure in an alpine region where such events risk recurring.