Schools and child care facilities at Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily were among the base services closed Nov. 12, 2024, due to rainy weather and poor driving conditions. Operations were restricted to essential personnel only, the base said in a Facebook post. (U.S. Navy)
Editor’s note: This story has been updated.
NAPLES, Italy — The Navy’s only air station in Europe was running normally on Wednesday following restricted operations the day before amid a severe weather alert for parts of Sicily.
Schools, childcare facilities and other base services at Naval Air Station Sigonella were open and all personnel were able to report to work as usual, Lt. j.g. Andrea Perez said in a statement on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the base restricted its operations to essential personnel only due to severe rain and bad road conditions. Nonessential personnel were advised to work from home and avoid driving as much as possible.
The base did not experience any flooding or weather damage, and flight and other essential operations were not impacted, Perez said on Tuesday. She added that the restriction was a safety precaution.
Italian authorities issued a red alert, a critical-level warning of potentially severe rainstorms and flooding Monday and Tuesday. The alert was for a region along the east-central Sicilian coast, including the town of Catania about 14 miles northeast of the base.
Much of the island also was under an orange, or moderate, storm warning, according to the Italian Civil Protection Department. Localized flooding was reported in some portions of Catania.
In October 2021, a hurricane-like storm caused widespread wind damage and flooding in the Catania area, including to the family housing complex and other buildings at NAS Sigonella.
Catastrophic flash floods invaded homes and other base facilities, knocked out power, stranded people in their cars and left many on the base without cell service or internet.
The floodwaters dislocated 92 residents of base housing. In total, 68 housing units were flooded, all but seven of which were occupied, officials said at the time.
On Wednesday afternoon, skies over Catania were partly cloudy with rain possible through the evening. Mostly sunny weather was expected in the area through Monday with the chance of rain tapering off over the weekend, according to Weather.com.
