At least eight people have died and over 13,000 residents have been evacuated following severe floods that have devastated entire towns in the Emilia-Romagna region in northeastern Italy. Stefano Bonaccini, the regional president, described it as “like a new earthquake,” referring to the one that struck the area at the end of 2012.
“Our thoughts go out to the eight victims and the missing. The entire region extends its condolences to them and their families,” said Bonaccini at a press conference alongside Matteo Piantedosi, the Minister of the Interior.
The president of the Emilia-Romagna region announced that 13,000 residents have had to be evacuated, including 3,000 in Bologna, 5,000 in Faenza, and 5,000 in the Ravenna area, “but the number is expected to increase.”
“It has been like a new earthquake, on the eve of the catastrophic event in Emilia-Romagna in 2012, the anniversary of which is about to be commemorated. Around forty municipalities have been flooded, structures destroyed, railways interrupted, provincial roads practically demolished, and a bridge has collapsed,” described the president.
In the area, 700 units of the Fire Department, 300 police officers, and a thousand carabinieri are operating, along with 220 volunteers from the Red Cross, 100 from the Alpine Relief, and around 340 from Civil Protection.
The viability of provincial roads is critical, with many areas cut off, and sections of the A14 highway, which runs along the Adriatic coast, have also had to be closed. Regional train services are “completely blocked,” while national train services and high-speed lines are operating without issues.
The floods have left nearly 50,000 users without electricity, while another 100,000 have problems with mobile phone service, and 10,000 with landline telephony.
TYT Newsroom
