At least five people have died and thousands have been evacuated from their homes following devastating floods in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. Several people are missing, and people are being rescued by helicopter.
River banks are completely flooded in Romagna, the eastern part of the region facing the Adriatic Sea. People in towns such as Cesena have been forced to climb onto the roofs of their buildings where firefighters have rescued them with helicopters or rubber dinghies.
Ravenna has also been hard hit.
Weather-related disasters have increased in Italy. The heavy rainfall in Emilia-Romagna follows a severe drought that has affected Italy for many weeks. The drought has reduced the soil’s ability to absorb water and has therefore exacerbated the effects of the floods.
Heavy rains for several days have poured down over both northern Italy and the Balkans. The rains have also caused violent floods, landslides and evacuations in Croatia, Bosnia and Slovenia.
People are advised to move to the upper floors of their homes and avoid low-lying areas and river banks. Rivers of wet mud have flowed into basements and shops.
Bridges and streets have been closed to traffic. Electricity and telephone connections have been interrupted in many places.
The authorities warn that the floods may worsen further.
The location in Cesena right now.
Bild: Magazine photo
Italy, floods, natural disasters, rain, landslides, water damage, Emilia-Romagna
Formula 1 this weekend is cancelled
The Formula 1 race in Emilia Romagna will not take place this weekend due to the extreme weather, the organizers have announced.
“The decision has been made because it is not possible to safely organize the event for our fans, the teams and our staff. The only right and responsible thing to do – given the situation the cities in the region are facing – is to cancel the competition,” say the organizers.
Source: Reuters
