Residents of Emilia-Romagna expressed their anger on Thursday after the passage of storm Boris which left two people missing, accusing the authorities of not having taken preventive measures despite the devastating floods which already hit this region of north-eastern Italy last year, reports the Reuters.AFP.
Torrential rains accompanied by strong winds that hit central and eastern Europe, killing 24 people, have since Wednesday affected Emilia-Romagna and Marche, two regions overlooking the Adriatic, leading to the evacuation of a thousand people, while two people are missing.
“The head of Civil Protection, Mr. Fabio Ciciliano, informed me that two people are missing […] after the collapse of the roof on which they had taken refuge”announced Deputy Minister of Transport Galeazzo Bignami during a press conference.
“We are in an emergency situation”
Schools were closed and trains cancelled as the rains hit areas already ravaged by floods in May 2023 that killed 17 people and caused billions of euros in damage.
Residents of the town of Faenza have attacked the authorities, holding them responsible for the new damage to their barely restored homes. “There is a meter and a half of water in my house, again, even though I have just finished repairing it”a resident told Italian media outlet Local Team on condition of anonymity.
The Emilia-Romagna region has indicated to theAFP that a thousand people had been evacuated. “We are in an emergency situation”said Ravenna Mayor Michele De Pascale on Radio 24, stating that the situation is “very similar to the one we experienced in May” 2023.
45,000 people evacuated
“The population is on alert”said the president of the Emilia-Romagna region Irene Priolo, while recalling that “Last year we evacuated” 45,000 people and that the damage should not be as severe this time.
She also defended her administration against criticism, deploring the “controversies” while “so much reconstruction work has been completed”Irene Priolo also called on the central government to release funds to create new reservoirs to stem the flow of rivers in the event of flooding.
According to a statement from the region, the rain that fell in the last 48 hours “in some cases exceeded 350 mm”More than 500 volunteers are working to help the firefighters and hundreds more from various regions of Italy are still expected, according to the same source.
Human-induced climate change is warming the planet at an alarming rate, leading to an increase in extreme events, according to the global scientific community.
