ROME, Sept 19 (Askume) – The second consecutive storm to hit central Europe brought devastating floods to the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna on Thursday, forcing people to flee their homes and close schools.
Last week, a low-pressure system named Boris unleashed the worst flooding in more than two decades from Romania to Poland, killing at least 24 people and sending floodwaters rushing westwards.
“I must say that it rained continuously for more than 48 hours. Boris has clearly decided to choose our region,” Irene Priolo, the acting president of Emilia-Romagna, told RAI public radio.
He said about 1,000 people were evacuated from their homes overnight, but the number was far smaller than the 45,000 forced from their homes by previous floods, which affected a much larger area.
In May 2023, two rounds of heavy rain and landslides in Emilia-Romagna killed 17 people and caused 8.5 billion euros ($9.5 billion) in damage, according to regional authorities.
Schools were closed and rail services suspended in several provinces on Thursday. In the city of Lugo, near Ravenna, authorities ordered the evacuation of all ground-floor homes after the Senio river burst its banks.
Michele De Pasquale, the mayor of Ravenna, told the Radio 24 broadcaster: “We are in a state of absolute emergency… This incident is very similar to what happened in May last year.” However, he also said this year’s flooding was more geographically concentrated.
Priolo said some areas received up to 250 millimetres (9.8 in) of rain, which was “comparable but in some cases better” than the previous year’s rainfall, but added that compared to the previous 23 rivers, only 3 reached peak water levels.
The national fire service said it carried out more than 500 rescue operations, including using helicopters, in Emilia-Romagna. Floods and landslides also hit the neighbouring regions of Tuscany and Marche.
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