State of emergency declared in flood-ravaged Emilia Romagna, Marche

(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 21 - Premier Giorgia Meloni's cabinet on Saturday declared a state of emergency in Emilia Romagna and Marche after this week's devastating floods in the regions and approved an initial allocation of 20 million euros in aid.
    "The measure regards the provinces of Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, Ferrara, Ravenna, Forlì-Cesena and Rimini (in Emilia Romagna) and the Marche Region," said Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci,.
    "Along with the state of emergency, which will last 12 months, the cabinet has allocated 20 million euro to deal with the initial urgent interventions, rescues and assistance to the population and the restoration of the functionality of services and infrastructure".
    Many of the areas affected are the same ones hit by flooding and landslides in May 2023 linked to unprecedented rainfall that left 17 people dead and caused billions of euros of damage.
    Scientists say the climate crisis caused by human greenhouse gas emissions is making extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, supercharged storms and flooding more frequent and more intense.
    Although there are many sources of the greenhouse gases that are causing global heating, the main driver is the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal, sales of which generate huge profits for the world's energy giants. (ANSA).