Emilia-Romagna on 'red alert', over 3,000 evacuated

(ANSA) - ROME, OCT 20 - Firefighters on Sunday found in the area of Pianoro near Bologna the lifeless body of Simone Farinelli, 20, who was reported missing overnight after his car was washed away when the Zena rive broke its banks as the city of Bologna and vast areas of Emilia Romagna were hit by floods.
    The young victim, who had a hearing disability, was travelling with his brother who was able to get out of the car engulfed in water.
    Almost all rivers in the region were above 'alert level 3' on Sunday as torrential rain created a "worse situation than in May 2023", said Interim Governor Irene Priolo, when Emilia Romagna was hit by flooding and landslides linked to unprecedented rainfall that left 17 people dead and caused billions of euros of damage.
    At least 3,000 people were evacuated between Saturday and Sunday in Emilia Romagna either because their homes were unsafe or as a precautionary measure, according to a provisional figure provided by authorities on Sunday afternoon.
    Over 2,100 were evacuated in the province of Bologna, with an additional 1,000 people forced to leave their homes in Cadelbosco near Reggio Emilia, preliminary data said.
    An extreme weather 'red alert' was extended until Monday in the region.
    In total, 13 municipalities were in a "critical situation", including all of Bologna, Reggio Emilia and Modena, after "175 millimetres of water fell in just a few hours", said Priolo.
    The interim governor said in particular that Bologna was hit by an "avalanche of water" after torrential rain pummelled the area and led the Ravone stream to break its banks.
    Amid torrential rain that hit the surrounding hills of the city over the previous days, the "saturation of the soil" created a "sort of avalanche of water" and when the Ravone broke its banks "roads became streams", said Priolo.
    In the night between Saturday and Sunday, Ravenna, Modena and Reggio Emilia were hit by floods with heavy rainfall also making the situation critical on all roads of the Apennines.
    In particular, the town of Bagnocavallo, near Ravenna, already hit by previous floods, including last month, was entirely evacuated.
    Priolo on Sunday urged residents to follow mayors' instructions, sheltering in place on the top floors of residential buildings close to rivers.
    Bologna Mayor Matteo Lepore urged locals not to go out or use cars and for residents of buildings close to the Ravone stream, which broke its banks on Saturday night, to stay on the top floors of buildings.
    "More than 80 millimetres of rain have fallen in four hours: don't go out and don't use your cars", Lepore wrote on social media.
    Overall, firefighters had carried out over 500 rescue operations in Emilia-Romagna as of Sunday afternoon with the most critical situations reported in the province of Bologna, as well as in areas including Forlì and Reggio Emilia.
    Meanwhile, all of Italy, from North to South, was pummelled by heavy rain and storms, in particular Sicily which had been gripped by a severe drought for months.
    In Licata, near the city of Agrigento, the Salso river broke its banks in several areas and residents had to abandon their homes.
    Catania's roads also turned into rivers due to the torrential rain that hit the city on Saturday.
    And intense rain also pummelled Veneto and the Marche with an 'orange' bad weather alert level on Sunday affecting parts of Calabria, large portions of Veneto and Basilicata and the south-eastern area of Lombardy and 13 other regions on a less severe 'yellow' alert. (ANSA).