Italian Air Force personnel and assets assisted the Orte Civil Protection following the flooding of the River Tiber. The support, requested by the Viterbo Prefectural Office and authorised by the Logistics Command, was aimed at facilitating clearance operations and the cleaning of roads and areas outside commercial businesses by pumping out water and sludge.
Specifically, through the use of fire-fighting water tankers, mud was removed from roads and squares near the town's sports area, where several schools and the headquarters of the Italian Red Cross are also located. The areas in front of some businesses in the industrial zone were then cleaned up to allow for the resumption of activities, and the municipal car park in front of the Orte Scalo railway station was cleaned. Furthermore, Italian Air Force personnel, through the use of a wheeled motor-driven pump, sucked water and silt from the basement of the ”F. Besta” school in Orte to allow the immediate continuation of the school year, and provided water supplies for various Civil Protection tankers.
All four specialist fire-fighting operators took part in the support activities, assisted by personnel from the Motor Transport Unit, under the coordination of the Head of the Logistics Services Section, Captain Giuseppe Mucciolo, and the Head of the Fire-Fighting Unit, Sergeant Major Enrico Musella.
Once the emergency had subsided, the Mayor of Orte, Dino Primieri, thanked the Depot Commander, Colonel Domenico Catania, for the effective, practical and professional contribution provided by the unit's personnel.
