At least nine people were killed in Italy’s northern Emilia Romagna region as heavy rain flooded rivers and submerged entire neighborhoods and farms on Wednesday, forcing the cancellation of this weekend’s Imola Grand Prix. Done.
Heavy rains that lashed the region’s flatlands over two days caused nearly two dozen rivers to burst their banks, inundating vast parts of the region and forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents.
“We saw from the (second floor) window that the water was slowly rising,” Cesena resident Davide Maldola told AFP.
“Helicopters kept circling all night to rescue people.”
In nearby Forli, southeast of the regional capital Bologna, mayor Gian Luca Zattini said his city was “on its knees, devastated and in pain.”
“It’s the end of the world,” said Jatini.
Regional authorities have confirmed nine casualties, most of them in the area around Forli and Cesena.
Flooding occurred in 41 municipalities, while an even greater number of landslides were reported.
Thousands of farms in the fertile agricultural region were affected, but Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida said the water had to subside before the government could quantify the damage.
Two bodies were recovered in Forlì by divers on Wednesday morning as part of a massive rescue effort involving emergency services, the armed forces and more than 1,000 volunteers.
– Streams and thick mud –
Television images showed emergency crews carrying residents across flooded streets or in inflatable boats, huge parking lots completely submerged, while water gushed through Bologna’s UNESCO-recognised portico The streams of are running.
A video taken by Italy’s coast guard showed rescue workers in a helicopter pulling two elderly people from the roof of a house where the water level had nearly covered first-floor windows.
Cars were submerged and roads in areas where the water had receded were filled with thick mud and debris.
Emilia Romagna, one of Italy’s most prosperous regions, was hit by heavy rain just two weeks ago, causing floods that killed two people.
This time, around 50 centimeters (20 in) of rain fell within 36 hours in Forli, Cesena and Ravenna, Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci said, a situation “with few precedents”.
Musumesi said 20 million euros ($22 million) in emergency funding would be unlocked for the region, on top of the 10 million given after previous floods.
The scheduled Formula One Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola was canceled on Sunday due to flooding, with organizers saying they could not guarantee the safety of fans, teams and staff.
– state of shock –
Rescuers battled through the night to save children, the elderly and the disabled from the rising waters.
In Cesena, local man Cristian Salamandri wearing high rubber boots was covered in mud by the end of the day.
“We have come to lend a hand to try to save people and animals,” Salamandri said.
“The situation is still difficult, sad. We hope it gets better.”
Officials said more than 10,000 people had been evacuated, including 3,000 in Bologna and 5,000 in Ravenna. About 50,000 people were without power.
In Forli, an AFP photographer saw people in a state of shock as they ran through floodwaters in the dark in their bare feet on Tuesday night.
– from drought to deluge –
Elsewhere, locals in Cesena swam across the road to rescue a three-year-old child, and a man was seen wading through high water with his cat.
The heavy rain comes after a drought that affected much of northern Italy last winter, and a record lack of rain last summer.
“We will have to get used to it for the future, because unfortunately in recent years it often happens that it rains excessively,” Air Force meteorologist Paolo Capizzi told AFP.
He added that this cannot be directly blamed on global warming, but “the ever-increasing frequency of these events clearly could be a result of ongoing climate change”.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, in Japan for the G7 summit, tweeted her support for those affected and said the government was “ready to intervene with the necessary assistance”.
On Thursday, rain was expected to subside in the flooded area.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP,