The floods that killed nine people in the north of Italy will cost the country several billion euros, and the agricultural sector was the worst hit after arable land was flooded, the governor of the Emilia-Romagna region, Stefano Bonacini, said today.
“The extent of the destruction caused by the storm is like another earthquake,” Bonacini told “RAI Tri”.
According to the Koldireti agricultural association, more than 5,000 farms in the region have been flooded, including Italy’s “Fruit Valley,” which also suffered damage in the 2012 earthquake.
It is expected that next week the government will allocate an additional 20 million euros for the Emilia-Romagna region, in addition to the 10 million euros already allocated in response to the previous flood at the beginning of the month.
9 dead in northern#Italy#floodsas Santerno river levels rise due to heavy#rainFormula One race called offpic.twitter.com/AFVcJykb4O
— Hans Solo (@thandojo)May 18, 2023
Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes this week after torrential rains hit the area between the cities of Bologna and Rimini on the Adriatic coast. More than 20 rivers broke their banks, causing floods and landslides.
The body of one of the victims was found on the beach in the town of Cesenatico, after the torrential waters swept him away as much as 20 kilometers from his home.
The torrential rains followed months of drought that parched the land and reduced its capacity to absorb water.
SRNA