Emilia Romagna bent by bad weather. Eight dead

2023-05-17 18:43:16

Time.news – A flood that passed like an earthquake, which brings to mind the earthquake of 11 years ago just a few days before the anniversary: ​​wounded in the heart, Emilia Romagna is trying to get up from the devastating flood, hoping that the rain will slowly slow down plan to stop, even if the red alert will remain tomorrow as well.

The numbers released by the civil protection bear witness to the disaster: 21 rivers have flooded, even in several points, 22 watercourses have exceeded level 3, that of maximum alarm. The Municipalities with floods between Romagna and Bologna rise to 35 and those with landslides, including major ones, between Reggio Emilia and Rimini to 48.

The confirmed deaths rise to at least 8: 6 in the province of Forlì-Cesena, one in the Ravenna area and one in the Bologna area, while some people are still missing; thousands of evacuees, a constantly increasing figure. They could exceed 13 thousand, according to an estimate by the Region, however very difficult to hypothesize with certainty in these still emergency hours. The final effort is needed to rescue people, many of whom are still missing.

“We have reached a key point in emergency management: for a few more hours the priority remains strictly to protect the safety of people, I still hope for a few hours 100% of our energies will be to secure people in positions still risky”: so on Fb the mayor of Cesena, Enzo Lattuca, taking stock of the flood that overwhelmed the city, after the overflowing of the Savio which is still under special surveillance.
The bad weather recorded peaks of up to 70 millimeters of rain, with an average of 50 millimetres, on the mountains and hills of Romagna and Bologna and an average of 20 millimeters in the mountains and hills of central Emilia (Parma, Reggio and Modena).

Bologna also suffers, with via Saffi flooded again: the mayor Matteo Lepore orders the evacuation of the lower floors of some buildings adjacent to the Savena stream in via del Paleotto in Bologna. On the hills, some roads were closed due to landslides. Museums, libraries and sports centers closed, schools closed again tomorrow, the road system in the metropolitan area is on its knees.

At work to manage emergencies and displaced people, more than 1,100 volunteers, over 600 firefighters, police forces and the Red Cross. More than 600 firefighters are at work with 3 helicopters available The Joint Operational Command (COVI) has activated 5 helicopters, 9 rafts and 6 lagoon boats as well as 12 operational units for embankment control, a remotely piloted aircraft ready for monitoring, 7 inflatable boats. And 26 men and six rafts from the San Marco Battalion are arriving in the evening.

The National Harbor Master’s Office is providing 3 helicopters, an airplane, 2 boats and, arriving in Ravenna, 12 divers. The Carabinieri will strengthen their presence in the area thanks to anti-looting teams and will make 2 helicopters available, as will the Guardia di Finanza. There are over 1,100 operational volunteers: 500 among the mobile columns of the national associations and the Regions of Tuscany, Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto, Friuli, Umbria, Lazio, the autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano, in addition to 600 volunteers from the 9 Coordinations of Emilia- Romagna.

Additional teams of volunteers from the national associations and columns of Veneto and Lombardy are arriving. The Italian Red Cross is putting 116 volunteers into action, and the Alpine Rescue another 136, 12 flood workers and 3 off-road ambulances. Impossible to think of the F1 GP which was supposed to take place in Imola over the weekend and which is cancelled, with the promise of a relaunch in 2026.

“It was unanimously chosen not to dispute the F.1 Grand Prix, out of respect for the situation in which we find ourselves and to allow all the commitment and efforts of personnel and resources to be concentrated on the emergency and to support people in difficulty, so severely affected – comments the mayor of Imola, Marco Panieri announcing the cancellation of the event due to bad weather – At a later time, far from this emergency, we will be able to resume the dialogue between all the subjects involved up to now, to continue together in this collaboration that had brought us to the F.1 Grand Prix at Imola”. “My thoughts and my closeness – writes the mayor – go first of all to all the people so severely affected in their affections and things and to all those who are tirelessly committed to bringing them help”.

Bonaccini: “Very heavy situation”

“It is a very heavy situation that is putting a strain on the Emilia Romagna Region, but we will react: first of all, we need to make people safe, we still need an effort, then we will think about the damage”, said the president of the Region, Stefano Bonacciniin the civil protection press point with the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosiwhich flew over the flooded areas with the Fire Brigade.

#Bad weather #Emilia Romagnathe Savio river flooded a #Cesena in the area of ​​via Roversano and via dei Mulini: people stranded on the roofs due to the high water level have been reported, rescue operations are underway in the area with the helicopter of the #fire fighters [#16maggio 17:45] pic.twitter.com/UiRZ8CGU2r

— Firefighters (@firefighters) May 16, 2023

Giorgia Meloni via video link from Anchorage

Meloni promises “maximum support”

The Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, during the summit at the Operations Committee, chaired by Musumeci, in the Civil Protection headquarters, reiterated the maximum willingness on the part of the government to support the Emilia Region in the emergency.

In the meantime, a summit will be held this afternoon with ministers Lollobrigida, Calderone and deputy minister Leo to agree on measures to suspend tax and social security obligations in aid of the affected region, we are informing again. “We will do whatever is necessary to deal with the tragic situation that has arisen. I renew the government’s closeness to the families of the victims”, a statement continues.

Meloni has given the immediate availability to convene a cabinet to approve, if necessary, further emergency measures. “The government exists, alongside the affected populations and the institutions in the area”, Meloni underlined.