'We are in a critical situation': Crisis talks held as Italian city is 'brought to its knees' by...
Italian officials held crisis talks today on how to manage blackouts in Sicily as hundreds of thousands are without electricity or water during a scorching heatwave. A temperatures soared to 47.6C, civil protection minister Nello Musumeci was forced to admit that the city of Catania had been 'brought to its knees' by power cuts. Some half-a-million people have been affected by power cuts around Catania since Thursday, ostensibly caused by heat damage to underground cables. The cuts have also stopped water pumps from operating, with between 200,000 and 300,000 people affected, although the issue was resolved on Monday morning. Local authorities are now setting up air conditioned rooms for the elderly and other vulnerable people, including the homeless, as energy is carefully rationed. Massimiliano Russo, a filmmaker in Catania, told MailOnline: 'The situation is very challenging. [...] 'The elderly are suffering a lot. Even the restaurateurs, forced to close due to lack of electricity. At present, no major action has been taken to help the city.' Paola, a local, told MailOnline: 'We are in a critical situation. The temperatures are very high and there are no power and water services in many areas of the city.' Russo, who currently has water but no power, explained: 'The temperatures are very high. 'The electrical infrastructure cannot withstand the overload of the city's air conditioning. 'The electrical cables cannot withstand the high temperatures and melt.' Commenting on the power cuts, supplier e-distribuzione said in a statement: 'We find ourselves operating in conditions of exceptional climatic emergency'. The temperature of the asphalt on roads was recorded to have hit highs of 50 degrees. 'This, if added to the high humidity, does not allow the correct dissipation of heat with consequent damage to the underground cables.' The company said it had deployed hundreds of technicians to address the issue. Musumeci, leading the meeting in Catania today, blamed the crisis on climate change and poor investment in local infrastructure. Italian news agencies reported him as having said: 'We are paying on the one hand for climate change, to which we should have been paying more attention for several years, and on the other for infrastructure that does not appear entirely adequate to the new context,' Power cuts have been ongoing in Catania and the surrounding area since Thursday. Traders, merchants, food shops and restaurants are among the worst affected, reliant on freezing food. Separately, flights were grounded last week following a fire at the city's main airport. The airport is Italy's fifth busiest, causing massive disruption to passengers. On July 23, Ryanair and easyJet that flights to Vincenzo Bellini Catania Airport (CTA) from UK destinations would remain cancelled until July 26. The airport suffered a fire on July 16, requiring for terminal-wide repairs. No injuries have been reported so far from the fire. Sicily's civil protection agency said the temperature in some areas in eastern Sicily rose to 47 Celsius (116.6 Fahrenheit) on Sunday. The temperature came close to a record European high of 48.8 Celsius recorded two years ago. Italy is one of the European countries most affected by climate change and suffered deadly floods in May. Parts of northern Italy have also seen intense hail storms. A packed jet was to make an emergency landing on Monday after being severely damaged during a hailstorm as freak weather hit northern . 'The effects of our climate becoming more tropical are changing everything and have a direct impact on the economy,' Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin told La Repubblica newspaper on Sunday. Francesca Tacchi, a 28-year-old writer from Bologna, told MailOnline the climate in northern Italy was equally unbearable. 'Surrounded by hills, the hot and humid air is trapped in the city, and there is no respite. 'But lately, the summers have become harsh beyond belief: 40+ C and long droughts have put both farmers and regular citizens on their knees. 'And when it does rain, it's in violent bursts, hailstorms or the "bomba d'acqua" that caused the recent devastating floods in the region. 'I personally am taking meds that make me prone to heatstrokes, and with these temperatures even walking 10 minutes causes me tachycardia, difficulty breathing and fainting. 'And I am 28 and in good physical health! Imagine what it does to the elderly!' 'Just yesterday, my mamma [further north] sent me a picture of hail as big as a ping pong ball, and every time we speak on the phone, she tells me about new disasters - trees that fell, roofs that broke, floods in the elementary school where she volunteers. 'She had to spend the last weekend pumping knee-high water out of a classroom! 'Each day I wake up and there is a new catastrophe unfolding in my country. And the worst part, the government doesn't care. 'I feel so angry at our spineless politicians, and so hopeless. 'My country is in so much pain, and we are helpless.'