can cities recover?

On July 10, 1976, at lunchtime, a toxic cloud escapes from the Icmesa factory in northwestern Italy. It is spreading in the region. Four municipalities are affected, including Seveso. At the time, the authorities were not really aware of the presence of chemicals in the cloud. However, dioxin escaped from the plant. In the 1970s, this powerful poison, used in the production of pesticides, is known to enter into the composition of the famous “agent orange” massively spread by the American army in Vietnam. In the days that follow, the consequences are visible in Seveso. The animals are starting to die and some children have skin problems.

In 1982, a series of European directives took its name from this disaster. The “Seveso” directives. Their role: to require member states of the European Union to identify industrial sites presenting major risks, sites today called “Seveso sites”.

The world returned to the Italian commune to find out how the city recovered from this disaster. A disaster that echoes the recent industrial accidents of Lubrizol in France, Chernobyl in Ukraine or Fukushima in Japan.

This report by journalist Claire Duhamel is part of a special feature on resilient cities, produced in partnership with the Resilience Forum, an event offered by the Rouen-Normandy Metropolis.

“Imagining and building the resilient city”, a theme debated during the Resilience Forum

Getting back up after a shock: mayors testify at the Resilience Forum

“Risk culture: can we prepare for the worst? », A question at the heart of the Resilience Forum

How cities are bouncing back from the disaster

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