Living on the Edge

a drawing of houses on a cliff that are falling off

On January 25, the Sicilian town of Niscemi found its inhabitants forced to evacuate their homes after a massive landslide. Can you imagine what it’s like to see your home sliding down a hill and turning into rubble?

The landslide, it’s said, was caused by the heavy rainfall provoked by Storm Harry. Also, according to Italy’s Civil Protection, one large landslide reactivated an old fault line creating an even bigger disaster.

The area of Niscemi is a geographically unstable terrain already suffering from erosion. Luckily, after seeing large cracks in the ground appear in residential areas, the mayor ordered an evacuation that saved many lives.

Every day, worldwide, we see disasters caused by deteriorating infrastructures and sloppy, negligent attitudes towards monitoring safety precautions. Just recently, in Switzerland, a fire started in a bar in Crans Montana killing 40 people and injuring many many others. Or, in Texas on the other side of the Atlantic, c 135 people died including numerous children at Camp Mystic when the Guadalupe flooded last year.

After a disaster, fingers are always pointed everywhere save towards the real cause. Because we know that these disasters are often provoked by thinking that it’s better to save money than to save lives.

Prevention is sometimes the best solution.