Parts of the northeastern region of
Emilia Romagna remained under floodwater on Thursday morning
despite an improvement in weather conditions as the authorities
started assessing the damage caused by two days of unprecedented
rainfall following months of severe drought.
"Never has so much water fallen in 36 hours," Regional Governor
Stefano Bonaccini told Radio 24.
The President of the centre-left opposition Democratic Party
(PD) also warned of the risk of "landslides and micro-mudslides
in an area first hit by drought and then by heavy rainfall fall
of water".
Two people are known to have died as a result of the flooding
and 500 people had to be evacuated from their homes, with the
area between the provinces of Ravenna and Bologna bearing the
brunt of the extreme weather.
On Wednesday Bonaccini said he would ask central government to
declare a state of emergency in the region.
"We're all going to have to get busy in order to speed up the
ecological and climate transition," Bonaccini told Radio 24,
calling for more prevention and more resources.
"We need to do everything possible to reinforce the territory,
make the rivers cleaner, try to build stronger embankments,
intervene on instability," he said.
However, "if climate change leads to these upheavals, we have
the issue of having to fight it by all together reducing the air
pollution that is causing the planet to overheat", he concluded.
Meanwhile, Environment and Energy Security Minister Gilberto
Pichetto said the government would discuss the situation in
Emilia Romagna during a cabinet meeting on Thursday.
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