A Bologna and its surroundings, some 175 millimeters of rain fell in one day, while the historical average for the month of October is 70 millimeters, according to regional authorities. The Emilia-Romagna region is once again partially flooded, after being hit by storm Boris in September.
More than 2,100 people were evacuated and around 15,000 were left without power overnight. As of Sunday afternoon, some 4,000 people remained without power, depending on the region. Schools will be closed in Bologna on Monday, according to the town hall.
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Firefighters announced that they had found the body of a missing person in Botteghino di Zocca, south of Bologna, a city located in northern Italy. According to media reports, the victim is a twenty-year-old man whose car was swept away by the floods.
“The extraordinary amount of rain caused many areas of Bologna to be flooded, with city streets flooded and sewer and drainage networks unable to absorb the water,” the region wrote in a press release. Bologna and four provinces in the northeastern plain were placed on “red alert” until midnight Sunday, although rains eased on Sunday.
Authorities have warned that landslides could occur in hilly and mountainous areas. Fifteen rivers “exceeded the alert threshold”, with eight rivers exceeding the maximum water level alert level, Level 3, the region said.
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In September, the passage of Storm Boris caused a new wave of flooding in the region. According to experts, climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions generated by human activities is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as torrential rains and floods.
