Storm There are still uninhabitable houses in the Maggia Valley
The temporary bridge built by the Swiss army near Visletto has reconnected the upper Maggia Valley, which was cut off by a violent storm, with the rest of the canton.
Image: Keystone
The road to the Bavona Valley, which was badly damaged by the storm, will not be open to the public until next spring.
Image: Keystone
The temporary bridge built by the Swiss army near Visletto has reconnected the upper Maggia Valley, which was cut off by a violent storm, with the rest of the canton.
Image: Keystone
The road to the Bavona Valley, which was badly damaged by the storm, will not be open to the public until next spring.
Image: Keystone
Six months after the storm, several houses in the Maggia Valley are still uninhabitable. A new protective wall has been built in Piano di Peccia to protect buildings from further landslides. It is still unclear how the reconstruction in the valley will be financed.
18.12.2024, 15:41
SDA
In the last few months before the winter, reconstruction work in the valley has been in full swing, said the municipal clerk of Lavizzara when asked by the Keystone-SDA news agency. Among other things, buried springs necessary for the water supply in Piano di Peccia had been uncovered.
Meanwhile, the ice rink in Lavizzara, which was flooded and destroyed by the nearby Maggia, has not yet been rebuilt. The municipality expects it to take around three years to rebuild the sports center. It is still unclear who will pay for the financing. A temporary ice rink has been set up for the upcoming winter season.
Road to the Bavona Valley still closed
The road into the Bavona Valley, the heavily devastated side valley of the Maggia Valley, is still closed. According to information from the municipality, the valley should be open to the public again by Easter 2025. Currently, only homeowners are allowed to drive into the valley at certain times.
All roads in the Maggia Valley are "safe and passable" again, as the municipal clerk noted. The replacement bridge built by the Swiss army near Visletto has been open to traffic since the end of July.
The municipality of Cevio, to which the Bavona Valley also belongs, estimates the damage to the public structures at several million francs. The repair of the road into the Bavona Valley alone will cost between two and three million francs. According to the municipality, the costs cannot be covered without special loans from the canton and the federal government. The municipality of Lavizzara is expecting costs of 30 to 40 million francs.
Both the Ticino government and the two municipalities each sent a letter to the Federal Council calling for greater financial support. So far, the federal government has pledged an additional credit of CHF 7.5 million in addition to support for the affected agricultural sector and other aid measures. The Ticino government estimates the total reconstruction costs at around 100 million francs.
The storm on the night of June 29 claimed seven lives in the Maggia and Bavona valleys. One person is still missing.
