Italy floods: Three dead and thousands evacuated in region's worst natural disaster

Floods in Italy: Three dead in Emilia-Romagna and evacuation of thousands of people.

Turnkey flooding in Italy (in Emilia-Romagna), in the center-north of the country, left three dead and forced the evacuation of thousands of people, Italian authorities said on Wednesday, warning that the worst may still be ahead. come.

1. Alarming weather forecast

“The rain is not over, it will continue to fall for several hours”, Titti Postiglione, deputy head of the Civil Protection Agency, told the SkyTG24 television channel. “We are facing a very, very complicated situation.”

2. Victims toll

Three dead bodies were found in the towns of Forli, Cesena and Cesenatico, and three people are missing, authorities in Emilia-Romagna said.

3. Emergency situation

 

Fourteen rivers burst their banks in Romagna, the eastern part of the region on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, forcing many residents to take refuge on the roof of their house or building to be rescued by firefighters , by helicopter or inflatable boat.

4. Power shortage

 

According to Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci, 50.000 people are without electricity.

5. Water infrastructure challenges

 

"If we had designed a rainwater distribution network capable of absorbing 1.000 millimeters in 12 months, we must now think of a system that will have to absorb 500 millimeters in 48 hours", he commented.

“It is probably the worst night in the history of Romagna”, said the mayor of Ravenna, Michael de Pascale, to RAI, adding that 5.000 people had been evacuated in his city during the night.

“Ravenna is unrecognizable due to the damage it has suffered”, he said. The President of the Council, Giorgia Meloni, expressed on Twitter her “total proximity with the affected populations”, adding that his government stood ready to provide the necessary assistance. The heavy rains that hit Emilia-Romagna follow weeks of drought that have affected the capacity