NAPLES, Italy — Storms and high winds whipped through the Naples area Monday and into Tuesday, wreaking havoc for residents — from commuters who tried to navigate flooded roads, to partially collapsed buildings that snarled traffic.
No injuries or damage were reported to U.S. Navy personnel and base property, base spokesman Lt. Paul Macapagal said.
On Monday, a 63-year-old man in Bacoli slipped and fell nearly 40 feet to his death while inspecting the roof of his home for possible storm damage, according to the Italian daily newspaper Il Napoli.
In the same area, a wing of a building under construction collapsed. Although the debris caused no injuries or deaths, chunks of construction material snarled traffic for hours, the paper reported.
Also on Monday, a felled tree crushed the front gate of a public school in Pianura. No students or faculty were entering or leaving the school at the time.
The weather, marked by high winds and torrential downpours throughout the day and into early Tuesday morning, kept firefighters busy, from flooded homes and stores to trapped motorists in a tunnel in the Soccavo neighborhood of Naples, the paper reported.
Flooded roads also blocked motorists from reaching La Schiana hospital in Pozzuoli, the paper reported.
November is notorious for its tempestuous weather in southern Italy. Badly maintained roads regularly flood and become full of dangerous potholes. Often, rushing water carries away garbage that collects outside roadside receptacles, and the floating debris adds to the hazard of driving.
Ferry services were disrupted because of high seas, both for brief trips to the islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida and for longer ferry rides to the island of Sicily.
