by InTrieste
At a ceremony marking the lighting of Cormons’s large Christmas tree on Sunday, the regional governor of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Massimiliano Fedriga, announced that the region will allocate an additional €30 million to support communities hit by recent severe weather. The funds, to be included in the upcoming regional budget law, come on top of an initial €5 million released immediately after the storms.
Fedriga said his presence in Cormons was meant to signal the region’s “concrete closeness” to residents still dealing with the aftermath of the damage. “Let the lights of this tree illuminate hope and recovery,” he told the crowd gathered in the town center. He praised the resilience of local residents, recalling his visit days after the storms. “I didn’t see people crying,” he said. “I saw citizens already at work, helping one another and beginning again.”
The governor also acknowledged the efforts of the Civil Protection service, firefighters, local mayors, law enforcement, and volunteers who responded in the emergency’s immediate aftermath. He expressed hope that displaced residents would be able to return to their homes as soon as safety work on damaged buildings is completed.
The event opened with remarks from Mayor Roberto Felcaro. Among those attending were Massimo Mazzarol, president of the local Pro Loco association, and a representative from the Austrian town of Friesach, which has been twinned with Cormons since 1984 and donated the Christmas tree for the ceremony.
