Morignone
Morignone was a village that was completely destroyed by an enormous landslide on July 28, 1987, along with the surrounding fractions . 53 people lost their lives and around 1,500 more became homeless . The village was in the northern Italian municipality of Valdisotto , in the province of Sondrio , on the state road SS38 ( Strada statale 38 ) between Tirano and Bórmio . The village in the upper Valtellina was not rebuilt. Today the road runs for a length of 8 km protected by tunnels and short galleries.
prehistory
The danger of a landslide on Pizzo Copetto had already been recognized in 1961. After more than 20 years, the residents often no longer took the warnings to leave the settlements seriously enough. No measures to protect the road were started before the disaster. There were projects, but the authorities, scientists and residents did not tackle them.
Course of events
On July 17, 1987, at the Bórmio measuring station, 305 mm of precipitation fell within 24 hours. In addition, it rained almost continuously for the next ten days. The Adda overflowed its banks, as did the side streams, and there were numerous debris flows . The images of the photographic surveillance of the Val Pola show an ever increasing accumulation of mud and debris. On July 28th, at Pizzo Copetto ( 3,066 m) at an altitude of around 2300 m, a rock package measuring more than 20 million m³ came loose and caused a landslide totaling 47 million m³ in the gully of Val Pola and on the adjacent slopes (official information the national fire brigade , VVFF ). Survival in the fall area was impossible because the height of the fall was about 1200 m at a distance of about 1500 m. In and around Morignone, 27 people were recorded dead in the destroyed houses. Another 26 were probably on the SS38, but there is no news about the whereabouts of the vehicles and people. Over 1500 people were left homeless through direct and indirect exposure. There are no figures on the number of injuries. The air entrained by the landslide led to a gust of wind at hurricane force, which outlined numerous trees on the opposite slope and caused the church tower in Sant'Antonio Morignone to collapse.
consequences
The uppermost Valtellina (Bórmio) could no longer be reached directly from the Valtellina. Only the Stelvio , Umbrail , Foscagno and Gaviapass passes remained . Behind the landslide mass, the Adda formed a lake and destroyed other cultivated land and houses.
In addition, the Adda threatened to break through with up to 200,000 m³ of water within a few minutes. This would have threatened the entire lower Valtellina (including villages and towns such as Tirano and Sondrio ).
Protective measures
The danger of the Adda breaking through had to be averted and the connection to the uppermost Valtellina, including supplies for around 15,000 people, as well as measures for the homeless, had to be ensured. Within a few days, a secured drain was created for the Adda (temporary pipelines) and the creation of a free drain began. At the same time, an emergency bypass (including a short tunnel) was created on the eastern slope (partly through rubble / dust). About a month later, the Adda flowed out in a regulated manner and the emergency road was in operation.
Planning and execution to secure this endangered area were immediately tackled: containment for further (expected) landslides, drainage protection for the Adda and a protected road.
today
For travelers, hardly anything can be seen of the disaster. Bypass tunnels with short protected galleries are used. The Adda flows freely through a scree desert. The relief tunnel has been built, there are catching dams below the former Morignone (at the "Devil's Bridge"). However, the valley floor is significantly higher than before, although it has largely been dredged to serve as a catch basin.
Below the new route secured by galleries, a road runs in the landslide area that connects Bormio with the small towns of the Upper Valtellina. Today there is a memorial to the disaster that struck the village: a chapel with an altar and wall paintings as well as some photos from before and after. On a stone tablet there are pictures of those people who had to lose their lives, marked with names and ages. There are small children with them, some names appear more often.
Individual evidence
- ↑ University of Stuttgart: Rockslides - 1.1 The Val Pola rockslide on July 28, 1987, its extent and the consequences
Coordinates: 46 ° 23 ′ 32 ″ N , 10 ° 21 ′ 22 ″ E