La Frana del 1922
A town near Messina overwhelmed and destroyed by a landslide
The rescue work.
Rome, a telegram today received by the Ministry of the Interior from Messina, contained the following:
“News has arrived of a terrible disaster that took place in a small town in our province and precisely in the municipality of San Fratello. This municipality stands on a mountain, and tonight, due to the corrosion produced by the waters, the rocks have sunk, overwhelming almost all the houses in the village in ruins. Among the other buildings ruined in the chasm are the Cathedral and the Town Hall. The number of dead and wounded is not known because the details of the terrible tragedy are missing. It is known that at least five hundred families are homeless”.
Later this other news arrived from Messina:
“The landslide continues in San Fratello, its movement, and seriously threatens the other part of the town, which has been cleared. A sad procession of carts, animals, and people, laden with household goods, seek refuge elsewhere. It is believed that the town will have to be rebuilt elsewhere, as it is currently founded on land undermined by deep underground corrosion. The prefect Frigerio is on the spot, where he is issuing energetic instructions to avoid human casualties. Many buildings have been overwhelmed and swallowed up, and among them the church, the magistrate's court, the town hall and the internal provincial road of the town have all disappeared.
The story of the prefect of Messina on the disaster of San Fratello
Casualties limited to two. 500 houses destroyed, 300 in danger. The landslide due to a telluric movement
The prefect of Messina, comm. Frigerio, returning from the places of the disaster, provided the following details. The disaster is terrifying. The town of San Fratello is suddenly nothing more than a place of complete and heartbreaking desolation. The country has remained completely deserted and unfortunately the landslide shows no signs of stopping. It threatens ruin down to the last house still standing. The 11,000 inhabitants almost all fled in the throes of terror.
Unfortunately, two victims are deplored, a poor 85-year-old woman and her son who died for trying to save her. If we do not have to deplore many victims, we owe it to the archpriest of the town and to the captain of the carabinieri, who had the houses most immediately threatened by the inhabitants cleared out.
Many people appear missing because they fled to the countryside.
In addition to the cathedral, other churches have been destroyed. The villa of General Di Giorgio and that of the former provincial councilor cav. Nucifer were, among others, completely destroyed.
Since the early hours of this morning, the military and civilian authorities have been on site with food and material for the construction of barracks.
The landslide ruined the entire western part of the town for a length of 650 meters and a depth of 50. The boulders that detached from the mountain hit and swept violently centuries-old trees, houses and streets in their course.
500 houses no longer exist and 300 are in danger.
The Landslide of 2010
Subsequently, it was rebuilt and 88 years later, on February 14, 2010, it was hit for the second time by a landslide.
More than 60 homes have been evacuated but now even the inhabitants who have not been removed from their homes have decided to leave the center and are directed to nearby municipalities by family or friends. The front of the landslide widens visibly. Dozens of houses are filling up with cracks and a large crack has also appeared in the church of San Nicolò. Among the causes also the bad weather of the last few days.
The faithful brought the statue of the saint and the crucifix to the square to prevent them from being destroyed by possible collapses and as a sign of devotion. In common there is a summit of the Civil Protection. Provincial representative Bruno Manfrè said that "the landslide is in full swing". The mass of land that is descending to the valley has dragged away some light poles. The areas most affected by the landslide are the Stazzone districts, where the Mother Church is also damaged, and Riana, but the landslide is also affecting the Fontananuova district. There are three "rows" of houses affected by the landslide, all newly built, and at the moment they are not accessible due to static problems.
The alarm was raised yesterday evening, so much so that the Municipality had ordered that the houses concerned be evacuated.
Il paese, una volta fiorente e pieno di vita, divenne un luogo fantasma, con le strade deserte e le case vuote, segnate dalle crepe profonde che si erano aperte nei muri. La chiesa madre, già danneggiata dal crollo del 1922, vide aprirsi una nuova spaccatura nel suo tessuto, mentre la statua del santo protettore, San Nicola, veniva trasferita dalla sua dimora alla piazza del paese, in un gesto di supplica e invocazione di protezione.
Le operazioni di soccorso furono avviate immediatamente, con il coordinamento della Protezione Civile provinciale e l'arrivo sul posto di ambulanze e squadre di volontari. Tuttavia, la situazione era estremamente critica, con il fronte della frana che si allargava a vista d'occhio e il terreno che continuava a cedere sotto il peso delle piogge incessanti.
Il sindaco e gli altri amministratori locali lanciarono un appello urgente alle autorità nazionali e regionali, chiedendo interventi coordinati e tempestivi per affrontare l'emergenza. La provincia di Messina non era l'unica ad essere colpita dal maltempo, con danni gravi segnalati anche nell'Ennese, nel Trapanese e in altre zone della regione, dove strade, linee ferroviarie e aziende agricole erano state devastate dalle forti piogge e dalle frane.
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La frana del 2010 fu un'altra terribile prova per la comunità di San Fratello, ma come già accaduto in passato, gli abitanti dimostrarono una straordinaria resilienza e solidarietà, unendosi per affrontare insieme le avversità e cercare di ricostruire le proprie vite, anche se la paura e il dolore per la tragedia rimasero a lungo impressi nella memoria di tutti.