Storm Crisis team prepares evacuations for upcoming rainfall

The upper Maggia Valley, which has been hit hard by a storm, is expected to experience thunderstorms and rainfall again this coming weekend. The crisis team is working on an evacuation plan, as it explained to the media in Locarno on Thursday.

The situation is of course different now, explained cantonal geologist Andrea Pedrazzini to the media. There are "open landslides" in the upper Maggia Valley and the rivers have left their beds. This makes the entire zone more sensitive. "We have to handle it very carefully," Pedrazzini summarized.

The emergency team is currently working on drawing up zones that need to be closed. The geologist could not yet say how many people might have to be evacuated. As soon as the plan is in place, the people concerned will be contacted.