BOLOGNA (ITALPRESS) – The death toll from the bad weather that hit Emilia Romagna worsens. At the moment there are 13 dead, dozens missing and thousands displaced. All rivers in the region have overflowed. There are 24 municipalities flooded. It is estimated that the rain that is normally recorded in 6 months fell in 36 hours. The center of Lugo, in the province of Ravenna, was also flooded due to the flooding of the Senio and Santerno rivers. Faenza, part of Cesena and Forlì, and some districts of Bologna ended up under water. In the Marches, on the other hand, the situation is improving throughout the region, even if attention remains high, especially in the areas most at risk of landslides. The yellow weather alert for Tuscan Romagna has been extended until 11.59 pm on Friday 19 May. In Ravenna, schools also closed tomorrow and Saturday. The president of the Emilia Romagna Region, Stefano Bonaccini said that there are 280 active landslides in over 60 municipalities, more than 400 roads destroyed or interrupted, and asked the government for the urgent appointment of an extraordinary commissioner for the emergency. Coldiretti estimates that more than 5,000 farms have gone under water. Meanwhile, the commitment of the task force put in place by Enel to restore the electricity grid continues throughout the region: there are over 20 thousand people without electricity.
The hospitals ensure the activities thanks to the generators. As far as transport is concerned, rail traffic is still heavily slowed down, with trains canceled or with long delays. Instead, the last stretch of the A14 was reopened around 3 pm, in the section between the junction with the Ravenna branch and Cesena Nord, where traffic currently passes on one lane in each direction in both directions. In the two regions affected by the bad weather, more than 900 firefighters are at work with 300 vehicles. The San Marco Battalion of the army was also mobilised. Over 7,000 requests for help reached the 112 of the Emilia Romagna Carabinieri Legion, which carried out 3,000 interventions. Hundreds of carabinieri patrols were also on the field to prevent episodes of looting in evacuated homes. In Cervia, in the province of Ravenna, the mayor Massimo Medri has launched an appeal from social media to anyone who wants to make themselves available as a volunteer, in view of the extension of the emergency also for tomorrow and Saturday. Schools of all levels will reopen tomorrow in Bologna. In Ravenna they will remain closed until Saturday. The Minister of Education, Giuseppe Valditara, said that he will propose in next Tuesday’s CDM the establishment of a specific fund intended to deal with the first interventions in favor of schools located in the areas affected by the flood, also to allow the usability for students.
– photo screenshot video State Police –
(ITALPRESS).