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NY Post
New York Post
17 May 2023


NextImg:At least 8 dead and thousands evacuated as floods batter northern Italy

At least eight people died and thousands were evacuated from their homes as torrential rain battered Italy’s northern Emilia-Romagna region, triggering widespread floods, officials said on Wednesday.

Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci said some areas had received half their average annual rainfall in just 36 hours, causing rivers to burst their banks, sending water cascading through towns and submerging thousands of acres of farmland.

Eight bodies had been retrieved from various locations, the vice president of Emilia-Romagna, Irene Priolo, told reporters, adding that the rains were easing but that river levels were still rising.

This weekend’s Formula One race in Imola, which is close to many of the worst-hit areas, was called off after the government said the emergency services had to concentrate on the rescue operation.

“The decision has been taken because it is not possible to safely hold the event for our fans, the teams and our personnel,” the Formula One organizers said in a statement.

Muddy waters flowed through the streets of Faenza, Cesena and Forli, just to the south of Imola, washing over the roofs of parked cars, submerging some stores and forcing locals to flee to the top stories of their homes.

The damage in Cesena caused by the flooding of the Savio river.
Alessandro Serran/AGF/AGF Foto/Avalon

The damage in Cesena caused by the flooding of the Savio river.

This was the second time this month that the Emilia-Romagna region has been battered by bad weather.
Alessandro Serranv/AGF/AGF Foto/Avalon

Cesena, a shopping center completely flooded.

A completely flooded shopping center in Cesena.
Alessandro Serranv/AGF/AGF Foto/Avalon

Cesena, a shopping center completely flooded after the Savio river overflowed.

Some areas received half their average annual rainfall in just 36 hours.
Alessandro Serranv/AGF/AGF Foto/Avalon

“Do not go near the rivers. Those who live in areas close to watercourses should move to higher floors,” the president of the Emilia-Romagna region Stefano Bonaccini said on Facebook.

Road and rail links were blocked in numerous locations and the mayors of many towns and cities, including Bologna, urged residents not to leave their homes.

The northern city of Ravenna, famed for its early Christian heritage sites, was also badly affected.

A view of the swollen Santerno River with behind the Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit, in Imola.

A view of the swollen Santerno River behind the Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit, in Imola.
AP

A view of the swollen Santerno River with behind the Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit, in Imola.

This weekend’s Formula One race in Imola was called off due to the flooding.
AP

“It’s probably been the worst night in the history of Romagna,” Ravenna Mayor Michele de Pascale told RAI public radio, saying that 5,000 people had been evacuated from his city alone overnight.

“Ravenna is unrecognizable for the damage it has suffered.”

It was the second time this month that Emilia-Romagna has been battered by bad weather, with at least two people dying during storms at the beginning of May.

A traffic worker gives directions to a driver as the road ahead in closed in the aftermath of a heavy rain that hit Italy's northern Emilia-Romagna region, in Ponte Rizzoli.

A traffic worker gives directions to a driver as the road ahead is closed in the aftermath of heavy rain in Ponte Rizzoli.
REUTERS

Minister Musumeci said between 200mm to 500mm of rain fell in some parts of the region in 1-1/2 days, compared with an average annual rainfall of 1,000 mm.

Venice, further north, has not been affected.

The torrential rains followed months of drought which dried out the land, reducing its capacity to absorb water and worsening the impact of the floods, meteorologists said.