As of the 17th, nine people were killed and tens of thousands were evacuated in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy due to floods and landslides caused by heavy rain.
On the 17th local time, Italian Minister of Civil Defense Nello Musumeci said at a briefing that the average rainfall in the Emilia-Romagna region within 36 hours was 200 millimeters, and some towns received 500 millimeters of rainfall during this period. . “If you take into account that the average annual rainfall in this area is 1000 millimeters, you realize the impact of that rainfall over this period.”
For two days, torrential rains have battered plains in the region, causing more than 20 rivers to burst their banks, AFP reported.
Authorities said 37 towns and communities in the region were flooded and about 120 landslides were reported. Near the city of Bologna, at least one bridge collapsed, some roads were washed away by floodwaters and many railway services were suspended. According to Italian state television, residents of 48 towns or villages have reported 250 mudslides.
“We watched the water gradually rise from the (second-floor) windows,” Cesena resident Davide Maerdola told AFP that the water level had risen to 1.5 meters. people.”
Gian Luca Zattini, the mayor of Forli, one of the worst-hit towns, told Sky Italia’s 24-hour news channel: “Even at the top it is no longer safe.”
Emilia-Romagna region president Stefano Bonaccini said nine bodies had been recovered in different places. “We’re facing catastrophic events like we’ve probably never seen before…Supernormal amounts of rain are falling on land that’s no longer capable of absorbing it.”
Irene Priolo, vice president of the Emilia-Romagna region, told reporters that although the rain is weakening now, the water level of the river is still rising, and more than 10,000 people have been forced to evacuate.
According to the Associated Press, the provincial government of Ravenna ordered the evacuation of about 14,000 people on the evening of the 17th as a precautionary measure due to concerns about the overflow of three rivers.
According to Reuters, the Formula One Grand Prix scheduled to be held in Imola on the 21st was canceled due to the disaster.
According to Italian Civil Defense Minister Musumechi, 50,000 people are currently without power, and more than 100,000 people cannot use mobile phones or landlines. He will ask the cabinet to allocate 20 million euros for the affected areas when it meets on the 23rd of this month to consider relief measures. He called for a new national water works plan to accommodate the growing number of flooding and landslide events.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the government was monitoring the situation and was ready to authorize emergency aid.
Emilia-Romagna has a large population. A day and a half of rain caused flooding in the region earlier this month, killing two people, disrupting rail traffic and forcing hundreds to be evacuated due to landslide risks. The Emilia-Romagna government estimated the damage from the natural disaster at 1 billion euros.
“We will have to adapt to it in the future because, unfortunately, this type of extreme rainfall has occurred quite often in recent years,” meteorologist Paolo Capizzi told AFP. He said the frequency of these phenomena was increasing, “obviously May be a consequence of climate change”.