[3] To avoid casualties, when the Messina region received heavy rains in February 2010, the government evacuated one-third of the population most at risk.

On the night of 1–2 October 2009, a sudden downpour of rain, accompanied by strong winds and lightning, caused large mudslides through the valleys of the northeastern coast.

[5][9] A man choked to death after taking in mud in when the main piazza was flooded in a suburb of the city of Messina.

[9] A survivor recounted his escape: "I was driving home when suddenly all this stuff came down on top of me and hit me full on.

[6] The mud covered roads and disrupted assistance efforts, as many rescue crews had to enter areas on foot.

[10][11] Damage extended to the capital Palermo, where a hospital was partially flooded, and people were found trapped in their vehicles.

[12] The origins of this environmental disaster are believed to result from a lack of forestation in the hills and lower valleys, caused by annual summer brushfires.

In addition, according to Guido Bertolaso, director of the Italian Civil Protection Service, illegal construction without permits and in defiance of zoning regulations is widespread in Sicily; many lost homes were built illegally too close to or blocking known torrent beds, creating drainage problems.

[18][19] Residents accused the local administration for having failed to secure the nearby hills from the risk of landslides, following mudslides that occurred in October 2007.

[18][20] President Giorgio Napolitano said: "We need a serious investment plan to increase safety – rather than grandiose public works – in this part of the country, or else tragedies like this one will happen again".

Silvio Berlusconi visited the afflicted areas on 4 October and met with some of the people left homeless by the disaster.