Heavy storms have brought devastation to the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, causing widespread flooding and landslides that have claimed nine lives and displaced thousands. The torrential rains have forced people to take refuge on the rooftops of their homes as 21 rivers broke their banks, submerging entire towns. Among the victims were an elderly man and a couple who owned a company in the agriculture sector.
The body of a German woman was found on a beach in Cesenatico, a town on the Adriatic coast, although it is unclear if she was killed in the storms. Others remain missing, and the Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix, scheduled for this weekend, has been cancelled.
“It’s a very, very complicated situation,” said Titti Postiglione, chief of Italy’s civil protection agency. “The rainfall is not over, it will continue for several hours.” Stefano Bonaccini, president of Emilia Romagna, added, “The only irreparable thing in this emergency are the nine people who lost their lives, and we hope there are no more.”
The storms have caused destruction across Emilia-Romagna and parts of the central Marche region, where 12 people died in floods last September. In a video shared on social media, the voices of people trapped in their homes in Faenza, a city in Ravenna province, could be heard shouting for help.
Italy Ravaged by Heavy Storms, Thousands Evacuated“We had a night that we will never forget. We’ve never known such flooding in our city, it is something unimaginable,” said Massimo Isola, the mayor of Faenza. Enzo Lattuca, the mayor of Cesena, echoed the sentiment, saying, “The situation is disastrous, it’s a catastrophe, and the rain has not yet finished.”
The River Savio, which burst its banks, has caused widespread damage, and a bridge connecting Motta-Budrio with San Martino in the Bologna area collapsed overnight. Italy’s fire service warned people not to approach the bridge, which is close to a gas pipeline that also appears to be affected.
Thousand of people have been evacuated from their homes in Ravenna, with the city’s mayor describing the situation as “probably the worst night in the history of Romagna.” “Ravenna is unrecognizable for the damage it has suffered,” Michele de Pascale said.
As the region struggles to cope with the aftermath of the storms, Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, expressed her “total closeness to the affected population,” adding that the government was closely monitoring the situation. The deputy prime minister, Antonio Tajani, pledged to “do everything to help the population hit by the flooding in Emilia-Romagna.”
The government’s response comes amid growing concerns about the country’s vulnerability to climate change. Emilia-Romagna and parts of Marche were also affected by severe flooding in early May, and a report by the Italian government’s environment agency found that 93.4% of the country’s municipalities are at risk of landslides, floods, and coastal erosion.
The latest floods have occurred against a backdrop of drought that had dried out the land, reducing its capacity to absorb water. The lack of action to mitigate the risk of landslides, floods, and erosion has raised concerns about the government’s response to the crisis. As the region struggles to recover, Italy faces a growing challenge in addressing its vulnerability to climate change.