Industry News
On March 3 and 4, several villages in the Aosta Valley in Italy were cut off from civilization after an avalanche covered the entrance to a road tunnel at Gaby. In addition, several regional roads had to be closed out of precaution. The avalanche danger has been elevated for several days as the area received between 3-5 feet of snow.
The mayors of Aymavilles, Cogne, Gressoney-Saint-Jean, and Valsavarenche ordered the closure of several municipal roads in the area, resulting in the isolation of around 6,000 people, including thousands of tourists. In addition, several ski areas, including Breuil Cervinia, Valtournenche, and Monterosa were also closed due to avalanche danger.
“We have 1.2 meters of snow at 1,700 meters (5,577 feet) altitude. In the late afternoon an avalanche came down at Testa Grigia. At the moment the power is there, we have food, the village shop manages to provide the service, we have diesel, at this moment we are self-sufficient.”
— Alessandro Girod, Mayor of Gressoney-La-Trinité
Thankfully, by Tuesday, March 5, the roads were able to open again and the snow cleared from the tunnel entrance.
Snowfall resumed on Wednesday night in the Southern Alps, bringing about 20-40 centimeters (8-16 inches) of snow and there is another storm front forecast from Friday night.
