After last week’s dramatic floods, which killed 14 people, Emilia Romagna is still in an emergency situation.
In these hours the water is slowly retreating, even if several areas are still flooded, leaving behind a trail of mud and debris that continues to paralyze many localities: 26,000 people are still displaced.
Even for today, Monday May 22, the Civil Protection of Emilia Romagna has confirmed that the alert remains maximum: despite the respite from the heaviest rains, it is code red in the provinces of Bologna, Ferrara, Ravenna, Forlì-Cesena and Rimini, for the risk of floods and new landslides on a devastated and very fragile territory.
«In the central-eastern mountain-hilly areas of the region conditions of vulnerability remain – warns the Civil Protection – with the possibility of landslides in the hydrogeologically more fragile slopes. In particular in the hilly areas of Romagna and the Bolognese Apennines, favorable conditions persist for the development and evolution of landslides that have already been activated in recent days”. In the Bolognese and Romagna areas, the authorities underline, the red alert is linked «to serious hydrogeological and hydraulic criticalities already present in the area and originating from the events of recent days”.
Billions of damages in Emilia Romagna, the fundraising of the Region and Civil Protection is active
While shoveling to clear streets and buildings – with nearly 5,000 people at work -, the damage count begins. Which are huge: the estimate at the moment is around 6 billion eurosbut it is still provisional.
The Regional Council decided to start one right away fundraiser to support the people and communities affected, through a current account in the name of the Agency for Territorial Security and Civil Protection of Emilia-Romagna. Anyone can make a contribution using these Bank account details:
Iban: IT69G0200802435000104428964
Causal: “EMILIA-ROMAGNA FLOOD”
Among the sectors hit hardest is that of agricultural production: according to an initial monitoring by Coldiretti Emilia Romagna, the flood hit over 5,000 farms and ranches. In the entire chain they would be at least 50,000 jobs at risk according to the association, between farmers and employees in the countryside, in industries and in processing and processing cooperatives.
Damage and flooding in Piedmont, the Po in flood in Turin
Between Friday and the weekend intense and persistent rains also involved other Italian regions. The hardest hit was Piedmont, where during the last night the flood of the river Po has crossed Turin with a flow rate of one thousand cubic meters per second. Since Sunday afternoon they have been the Murazzi flooded, where the water has invaded the whole quay. This morning, Monday 22 May, the Po is back below the danger level.
Flooding and damage occurred in Cuneo, the most affected sector with landslides and roads and locks between Roccavione and Robilante.
According to the latest Arpa Piemonte bulletin, in four days the accumulations recorded values between 200 and 270 mm, equal to as many liters per cubic metre, in the areas most affected by the rain. Locally, however, maximum values even exceeded 300 liters per cubic metre (303 in Camparient, in the province of Biella, 318 in Barge, in the Cuneo area).
Weather updates confirm a much calmer situation for the next few hours, but the alert remains high especially due to the risk of landslides.
Critical issues also in Sardinia and Sicily
On the major islands, the most critical phase of the bad weather occurred between the end of Friday and Saturday, with heavy rains and intense winds, with gusts that exceeded 100 km per hour.
In Sicily, the eastern area of the island was especially affected, from Ragusa to Messina, with floods and storm surges, fallen trees and disruption to traffic.
Also in Sardinia the most serious damages are recorded on the east coast, and in particular in the area of the Gulf of Orosei and in its hinterland.
The abundant rainfall, which here too recorded peaks close to 300 liters of water per cubic metre, caused damage and flooding from Dorgali up to the coast: a wave of mud also swept away Cala Luna and Cala Sisine, two of the most beautiful and well-known beaches on the island. Huge losses are feared, especially in a period so close to the summer season, but the authorities report that it will be necessary to wait for the water to withdraw to make a reliable estimate.
