The activities of the National Service
Following the landslide that affected the southern part of the town of Niscemi on January 25, a red zone was established, and the municipality ordered the immediate evacuation of residents living in the area. From the early hours of the emergency, the Civil Protection System was activated to provide assistance to the population, ensure technical and scientific monitoring of the landslide front, and restore essential services and disrupted road infrastructure.
Operations in the area are being coordinated through the Municipal Operations Centre (COC) in Niscemi and the Rescue Coordination Centre (CCS) established at the Prefecture of Caltanissetta, where personnel from the Civil Protection Department are also operating.
With the Order ofJanuary 30, the President of the Region of Sicily, together with the Presidents of the Regions of Calabria and Sardinia, was appointed Commissioner for the implementation of the first urgent measures in response to the severe weather events that affected Southern Italy, including the Municipality of Niscemi.
Under Decree-Law No. 25 of 27 February 2026, the Head of the Civil Protection Department has been appointed as Extraordinary Commissioner for the Niscemi area, with responsibility for implementing measures and actions aimed at enhancing safety and resilience across the territory
More than 1500 people were forced to leave their homes due to the landslide. The municipality immediately activated emergency assistance measures, providing essential services at the “Pio La Torre” sports hall, where a mobile kitchen was also set up and is being operated by the AVCS volunteer organization from Syracuse. On February 5, the busiest day, 96 volunteers from 20 regional and local organizations were on duty, providing assistance to the public. Overall, local volunteer participation averaged around 60 volunteers per day.
As of January 30, residents displaced by the event may apply for the CAS – Contributo di Autonoma Sistemazione (autonomous accommodation allowance), as provided for under Order No. 1180 of the Head of the Civil Protection Department. To facilitate access to this allowance and to support applications for compensation for commercial activities, the municipality has established an information stand, where assistance is provided in completing the required forms.
Meanwhile, firefighters continue to support residents in recovering personal belongings from evacuated homes. Since the onset of the emergency, approximately 1700 interventions have been carried out.
School activities resumed on February 2 in the schools of the Municipality of Niscemi located outside the red zone. These schools also accommodated kindergarten and primary school students who had been relocated from facilities affected by landslide risk.
Following the reopening of schools, a psychological support service has been set up for students, families, and school staff.
On 29 January, following the completion of safety checks and the secure restoration of the network, gas supply was reactivated throughout the town of Niscemi.
With regard to road infrastructure, interventions by the Italian Army’s Engineering Corps on the secondary road network enabled its adaptation to the new road routes. Additional interventions are planned for the provincial roads affected by the event.
The Civil Protection Department has activated the Italian Space Agency to provide satellite data acquired by the COSMO-SkyMed constellation and, within the framework of Italian-Argentinian cooperation, by Argentina’s SAOCOM satellites, enhancing monitoring activities through the integration of space-based technologies. The Agency has already made available 400 radar images from the COSMO-SkyMed archive, acquired since 2010 under the MapItaly plan dedicated to monitoring the national territory.
The data have been forwarded to the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Florence, a Civil Protection Department centre of competence, for further examination. The University of Florence is involved in the technical and scientific assessment of the residual landslide risk in the Niscemi area.
The National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS) and the University of Florence carried out investigations to reconstruct subsoil characteristics and to identify any slip surfaces and water accumulation zones. At the same time, a team composed of independent experts and researchers from the University of Catania conducted field inspections of the landslide body.
The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), Catania Section, has also been engaged in geochemical monitoring activities to assess the possible presence of gases, particularly methane, as well as in geophysical monitoring through the installation of a dedicated network of stations.