More than 36,000 people have been displaced by flooding in northeastern Italy, the Emilia-Romana region announced Saturday, as floodwaters engulfed more homes and villages were cut off by fresh landslides.
Violent storms in that region of northern Italy killed 14 people and turned the city’s streets into rivers.
As the rains do not subside, the regional authorities have extended the red alert until Sunday.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced this Saturday that she would leave the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan early to return to Italy and deal with this crisis caused by the floods.
“Frankly, I can’t get away from Italy at such a difficult time,” Meloni said at a press conference, thanking the 5,000 people – including rescue teams and volunteers – who are helping those affected by the floods.
The Italian Prime Minister also thanked her G7 counterparts for their offer of help.
Meloni is expected to visit the areas most affected by the floods starting this Sunday.
This Saturday, the Ravenna authorities ordered the immediate evacuation of particularly vulnerable towns.
Also this Saturday, a helicopter trying to restore electricity crashed near Lugo, injuring one of the four people on board, according to firefighters.
The floods triggered more than 305 landslides and damaged or cut more than 500 roads in the region.
“The water began to rise at 2:00 p.m. (Friday), when it was crossing the fields,” after nearby canals overflowed, submerged by floodwaters, electrician Mauro Lodola told the French news agency AFP. 54 years old.
“It’s hard. I’d like this to end quickly so I can move on…control myself,” he said, standing in thigh-deep muddy water near his home.
Shocked, Lodola points to her devastated home, with water lapping up the kitchen refrigerator and the mattress on her bed, which has been piled with salvaged furniture.
Outside, a white door hangs near a barn, where panicked chickens have taken refuge.
The mayor of Bologna, Matteo Lepore, said on Saturday that it would take “months and, in some places, perhaps years” to repair the roads and infrastructure damaged by these floods.
Source: TSF
