Former Police flood victims of Station Square ready to go back to Florence

After the Mud Angels to return to Florence together to relive their efforts to help young people in the city and the people affected by the flood 4 November 1966 Students will be young non-commissioned officers of the Police 59 During the Force Non-Commissioned Officers School in Station Square, young people at that time were between 18 e i 26 years.

Many bold young at that time not only began to help the people affected by the floods, but also, as in some cases, lives saved from the fury of the waters.

There are several months that these Police, now retired, thanks to Francesco Liberatore Memoli, who now lives in the province of Vicenza, are organizing, tramite Facebook, con il passa parola, the official journal of the Force (The policeman) and that of their National Association (The fiame d'Argento), to return to Florence in 2016, when the fall 50 Anniversary; helped in this by the Florence also promotes, that will give them logistical support - have already begun the first contacts with the competent authorities, military, civil and religious – to return to visit the cloister and the large rooms where they lived in 1966, and now form part of the municipal museum of Santa Maria Novella, as well as participating in official ceremonies that will be held for the fiftieth anniversary.

Torneranno in Piazza Stazione anche se la loro scuola non ci sarà più, since in 2016 the whole school will finally left the historic site of Station Square for the new headquarters, more modern and functional, even if decentralized, alla periferia di Firenze, all’Olmatello, near the airport of Peretola and the entrance of the.

In just four months have already responded to over fifty, including the then Commander of the School, Colonel Mario Serchi, Silver Medal for Civil Merit for their heroic action during the flood, then became General of the Army Corps.

With the Silver Medal for Civil Valour for the flood was also awarded the Baptist Mazzocchetti that saved on Via della Scala, with contempt of danger, assieme al Comandante, a person in trouble.

This is one of the few, among the many episodes of rescue often do not remember, or even that there is no news, coming back "to normal" service institution of the Force, who has seen the "recognition" with the Medal of Valor Civil.

“Nei precedenti decennali dell’Alluvione – ha dichiarato al nostro direttore uno dei ”coordinator” This rally, Liberatore Francesco Memoli – Alumni NCOs us we were not mentioned by the institutions and for this, in view of the 50th, we felt the need to be present as, as students of the School of Station Square, for a year we felt Florence, and for this we were, and we feel, Also Florentine flood victims. In addition we have provided aid to the people, watched over the city, especially at night, as well as in rehabilitating even the same school, which suffered considerable damage. We will not return, in 2016 Florence from NCOs, but students flood victims, with the specific intention of rigustare and relive those moments that we lived in a very intense ".

"It will be important that their return - said President of Florence promotes, and our Director, Franco Mariani – perché servirà a mettere a fuoco che oltre all’ “esercito” degli Angeli del Fango, already mentioned in the 30 and 40 anniversary, there was a veritable army of soldiers, police, avieri, that room in the Tuscan capital, both for military service, is to study, immediately were engaged in helping people dell'inerme. Their return will have more news and stories about events that still have not been told, and that were experienced by them in the first person, with the ruthlessness of those who at the time was less than twenty years ".

Meanwhile on Facebook former comrades find themselves virtually, waiting to flock to Florence in November 2016, publishing their photos in uniform when attending the School of Station Square, as well as many memories of those days, come quello postato da Antonio Randazzo, of 5 Company of the First Battalion.

“That fateful day – racconta Randazzo - ero assegnato di servizio alla mensa insieme ad un collega allievo della quarta compagnia. The cafeteria is located on the ground floor with access from the 2 courtyard. The neighboring kitchens were instead under the road and corresponded to the facade facing the railway station of Santa Maria Novella. At one time the kitchen door we saw come cascading water and in no time the kitchen was flooded. The cooks and employees immediately fled. We remained myself and the colleague of the fourth company which bathing to above the knees reached his company which had input in the same courtyard not far from the tables. I, naively not realizing the danger, so as not to get wet, I went on one of the floating platforms and armed with a stick found by chance (see photo bottom of the article) I started surfing and dragged by the vortex that quickly made me do around the yard for the first time. Fui fortunato, al secondo giro la pedana passo proprio accanto ad una delle colonne del loggiato zona infermeria e lestamente mi aggrappai alla grondaia arrampicandomi come un gatto fino a pormi in salvo sullo stesso loggiato e da li guadagnarmi la strada per la mia camerata poco distante dall’infermeria. Tutto sommato non ebbi paura, the courage of unconsciousness). The weapon began to provide everything he could as a means and men, and we students were participating in security services and some even to shovel mud. Rescuers were quite timely but it was hard, little water and little food in the immediate circumstances, field kitchens were prepared and went a little better. The waters did not recede easily. From the balcony we could see rivers of water hauling cars, furniture and every small or large object for the neighboring streets. Infinitely sad to see so much devastation, both during the flood and after seeing the mountains of mud everywhere. I think this episode helped me grow as a man”.

Instead Dino Degli Esposti, of 6 Compagnia ci ha raccontato che si trovava “alla mensa difronte al Corpo di Guardia, below the level of the road, with an entrance door high that at some point he was shot down by the water and fell in the hallway that separated the tables. A Niagara came in with a rumor assordante. We all got the same idea in the head with those of 9, 8, 7, etc.. Suddenly they heard a trumpet – era l’attenti - cui seguì un ordine del Tenente Milli, che se ricordo bene doveva essere di servizio di picchetto, that said: “all in place ... and keep eating .seduti!. All returned sadly to the tables, while the water was already ankles. I devoured in one bite wing that was attached(maybe) the thigh of Mazzocchetti, and when the water reached the level of stools, a second ring announced the end of a meal. In an unusual order, with the water we bathed thighs, we left the table out in the courtyard of the kiosk. Pious hands, luckily, had planted a row of plastic crates, that helped us greatly to find the way of our dorms. Of course if we had known that this would be the last hot lunch from there in almost a month, would come out with much more calm ... maybe picking up here and there a piece of chicken ....”.

Michael Lattanzi

By the number 37 – The Year of 29/10/2014