After reportedly two months of drought, the Northeast region of Emilia-Romagna in Italy has been hit a second time this month with heavy flooding and mudslides that have killed at least nine people, and left thousands homeless.
This aerial photograph shows flooded cars in the town of Lugo, near Ravenna, on May 18.
The flooding of 23 rivers and streams has led to 50 floods and 280 mudslides in over four dozen municipalities, according to the official region site, leaving some dead, at least 12,000 evacuated and others unaccounted for.
The hardest-hit areas are Bologna (15 floods and over 40 mudslides), Ravenna (13 floods and nearly 90 mudslides) and Forlì-Cesena (12 floods and over 100 mudslides).
The region launched a fundraiser for impacted residents and deployed over 560 firefighters to find and rescue citizens.
Emilia-Romagna is about 115 miles south of Venice, Italy. The area had experienced at least two months of drought before being hit with torrential rains earlier this month and within the last 48 hours. This weekend, the region was set to host several Formula 1 car racers in the Grand Prix, but the recent flooding has led to the event’s cancellation, according to a statement from Formula 1.
A resident walks across flooded streets in the town of Lugo on May 18 after heavy rains caused ... [+]
This aerial photograph shows the castle and flooded streets in the town of Lugo, near Ravenna, on ... [+]
A resident carries a cat carrier in a flooded street in the town of Lugo on May 18.
Pedestrians carry their dog in a flooded street in the town of Lugo.
Displaced people find shelter on the sports court of the local Palacattani sports facility in ... [+]
Rescuers evacuate residents in a dinghy across a flooded street in the town of Lugo.
A rescuer wades through a flooded area in Bologna on May 17.