Shortly before the holiday season, a storm surge wreaked havoc on Italy’s Adriatic coast. The water masses have torn whole sections of the beach with them.

A massive storm surge swept away entire stretches of beach on the Italian Adriatic coast over the weekend. The beaches of Jesolo, Bibione and Lignano are particularly affected. In addition to a storm with thunderstorms and hail, the “Bora”, a cold north wind, swept over the popular holiday region. The gusts pushed the storm surge against the coast, where the masses of water swallowed up parasols, watchtowers and sand.

“More than a kilometer of coast has disappeared into the sea. A first conservative estimate amounts to 30,000 cubic meters of lost sand,” says Gianfranco Prataviera, President of the beach operator Bibione Spaggia, the online portal “Wetter.at”. The pictures from the seaside resort north of Venice spread rapidly on social networks. It shows how the tide has made a dent in the coast. There is now a meter difference in height between the beach and the sea.

With the holidays and vacations approaching, the damage in the tourist resorts is catastrophic for the tourism industry. According to “Heute.at”, 80,000 guests are expected in Lignano alone over the Pentecost weekend.

Italy restores beaches

“For us, this is an emergency. Tourists come in droves and we don’t have a beach to offer,” the portal quoted Jesolo’s beach manager, Alessandro Iguadala, from a conversation with the Italian daily Il Gazzettino. It is the first time that the “Bora” has caused such damage. The beach at Jesolo is to be restored in the short term with sand reserves from the municipality. The work has been going on since Monday. But that’s not enough in the long term. “There is a lack of environmental studies, concepts and infrastructure. We can’t lose any more time,” warns Iguadala.

While temperatures of up to 40 degrees are expected in Sicily at Pentecost, meteorologists expect humid and unstable air masses in the north – gusts of wind, hail and renewed storms cannot be ruled out.

Sources: “Heute.at”, “TZ”, “Wetter.at”