The death toll after the floods that devastated the northern Italian Adriatic region of Emilia Romagna last week is rising. A man’s body was recovered in the fields of Lugo in the province of the Adriatic port city of Ravenna. It is likely to be a 68-year-old missing person. This increases the death toll to 15.
The man was reported missing on May 17. Witnesses had reported that the man got out of a van and was then swept away by the floodwaters of a river.
Today’s Wednesday is a day of mourning throughout Italy, the government decided. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced at a press conference that she passed a package of measures with aid of two billion euros on Tuesday. The suspension of tax payments for companies is also planned until August 31st. 23,000 people are still accommodated in hotels, sports halls or parishes.
300 million euros are earmarked to support self-employed people who have lost their jobs due to the floods. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is providing 700 million euros to support companies exporting abroad that have been hit by the floods. 100 million euros are earmarked for compensation for agricultural companies, and another 75 million are to be used to purchase new agricultural machinery.
Italy wants to apply for access to the EU disaster fund. The government is hoping for up to 400 million euros from this. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will visit the provinces affected by the storm on Thursday, reported Stefano Bonaccini, President of the Emilia Romagna Region.
There are also plans to increase admission prices for museums by one euro. “The proceeds are to be used for the restoration of the affected cultural assets in Emilia Romagna,” said Meloni.