Flood waters tossed cars around in
Torre Archirafi on Wednesday, dragging some into the sea, after
the torrential rain that has hit Sicily turned streets into
rivers in the town near Catania.
Local people made over 30 requests for help to the emergency
services.
There were no reports of anyone being unaccounted for because of
the extreme weather at the time of writing.
Firefighters rescued a number of motorists trapped in their cars
by the floods in the town of Aci Sant’Antonio.
Another person was saved by the emergency services after their
home was flooded in Acireale.
The fire brigade use an amphibious vehicle in Altarello to
rescue four people, included two disabled, after the ground
floor of a house was invaded by water.
Scientists say the climate crisis caused by human greenhouse gas
emissions is making extreme weather events such as heatwaves,
droughts, supercharged storms and flooding more frequent and
more intense.
Italy has experienced a long series of such events in recent
years.
This year intense heatwaves and extreme droughts have impacted
southern regions, with Sicily and Sardinia hit especially
severely, while heavy rainfall has led to flooding in Piedmont,
Emilia-Romagna and Marche, prompting the authorities to declare
a state of emergency.
Although there are many sources of the greenhouse gases that are
causing global heating, the main driver is the burning of fossil
fuels such as oil, gas and coal, sales of which generate huge
profits for the world’s energy giants.
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