Torrential rains accompanied by strong winds that have hit central and eastern Europe have affected Emilia-Romagna and Marche in Italy since Wednesday, forcing the evacuation of a thousand people, while two people are missing.
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 lashed out at the authorities, blaming them for the new damage to their barely restored homes. “There is a metre and a half of water in my house again, even though I have just finished restoring it,” one resident told Italian media outlet Local Team on condition of anonymity.
The Emilia-Romagna region said around 1,000 people had been evacuated.
“The population is on alert”
“We are in an emergency situation,” said Ravenna Mayor Michele De Pascale on Radio 24, saying the situation is “very similar to the one we experienced in May” 2023.
“The population is on alert,” declared 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.” Priolo also called on the central government to release funds to create new reservoirs to dam the rivers in the event of flooding.
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More than 500 volunteers at work
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.
hkr with afp
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