Storm Harry: 1,500 Evacuated as Sicilian Town Teeters on Crumbling 2.5-Mile Cliff

NISCEMI, SICILY — The hilltop town of Niscemi is literally sliding into the sea.

In the catastrophic wake of Storm Harry, a massive four-kilometer (2.5-mile) fissure has torn through the southern Sicilian landscape, creating a shifting chasm that is actively swallowing residential neighborhoods. As of Tuesday, Italian authorities have ordered the urgent evacuation of more than 1,500 residents, as homes, cars, and historic structures hang perilously over a 25-meter (82-foot) precipice.

“The situation is dire—there is no denying it, we are scared,” Niscemi Mayor Massimiliano Conti told reporters, his voice strained as the ground beneath his town continues to groan. “The creaking continues, and the rain isn’t helping. From aerial images, it is shocking to see our Niscemi collapsing.”

A Town Divided by a Chasm

The landslide began Sunday in the Santa Croci and Trappeto districts after a week of relentless rainfall from Cyclone Harry—a storm meteorologists have described as a “once-in-a-century” event. The saturated clay-rich soil finally gave way, creating a vertical “shelf” that continues to widen.

• The Red Zone: A strict exclusion perimeter has been expanded to 150 meters from the cliff edge. Civil Protection officials warn that any building within 70 meters of the rupture is now considered a total loss.
• The “Hanging” City: Dramatic drone footage captured on Tuesday showed the front wheels of parked cars dangling over the void, while the interiors of modern apartments are exposed to the elements like open dollhouses.
• Infrastructure Collapse: Two major provincial roads leading into the town of 25,000 have been severed, threatening to isolate the community entirely.

State of Emergency Declared

The Italian government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, declared a one-year state of emergency on Monday for Sicily, Calabria, and Sardinia. An initial €100 million ($108 million) has been unlocked for “urgent interventions,” though local leaders warn the figure is a drop in the ocean.

“This is a dramatic landslide,” said Nello Musumeci, Minister for Civil Protection. “We are deploying specialized teams of geologists to predict the next moves of this mass, but the landslide is active. It hasn’t stopped.”

Estimates for the total damage across Sicily alone have reached a staggering €1.5 billion. Beyond Niscemi, the storm’s 10-meter waves and hurricane-force winds have decimated coastal promenades in Catania and destroyed fishing fleets in the Ionian Sea.

The Human Toll of ‘The Abyss’

While no fatalities or injuries have been reported—thanks to early warning sirens and a rapid “precautionary” evacuation—the psychological toll on the displaced is immense. Hundreds of families are currently sleeping on cots in a local sports arena, while others have crowded into the homes of relatives.

A Fragile Future

Geologists are now racing against the clock. The fear is that the “4km front” could continue to move toward the historic center of Niscemi, which dates back to the 17th century. Experts point to a similar, though smaller, landslide in 1997 as proof that this region is uniquely vulnerable to the climate-driven “super-storms” now frequenting the Mediterranean.

For the people of Niscemi, the immediate future is a waiting game. “Who has a home there may never go back,” warned Fabio Ciciliano, head of the national Civil Protection Department. “The land is no longer theirs; it belongs to the ravine.”