50th anniversary of Florence flood

(ANSA) - Florence, November 4 - Florence on Friday is marking the 50th anniversary of the devastating flood of the River Arno in 1966, which claimed dozens of lives and caused incalculable damage to the Tuscan city's rich heritage.
    "We must not love in fear of the river," Florence Mayor Dario Nardella told Rai radio. "You have to acknowledge that little was done in terms of prevention for 48 years. But things have turned around over the last two years". However, Gerald Galloway, a University of Maryland engineer and head of an international panel of experts that assessed the measures need to protect Florence should the Arno burst its banks again, said the city is still vulnerable.
    "The city remains in serious danger of flooding and this risk is set to increase every day if we don't intervene," Galloway said.