The Devastating Storm in Italy: Flooding, Destruction, and Loss of Lives

Italy’s civil protection authorities said 200 millimeters of rain fell and overflowed river banks in a three-hour period from the coastal city of Livorno to the Mugello valley inland.

Among the dead in Tuscany were an 85-year-old man who was found on the first floor of a flooded house near the city of Prato, north of Florence, and an 84-year-old woman from Livorno who died trying to stop the water entering her home, the AP news agency reported.

Three people are considered missing in Tuscany. One person is missing in the Veneto mountains north of Venice.

A high alert was issued in other regions, and authorities warned that the storm was moving towards southern Italy.

The storm was already raging in Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany on Thursday, where it claimed at least seven lives. The storm destroyed homes, shut down transportation and left many people without electricity.

Hospitals in the Italian cities of Pisa and Mugello were flooded as the storm advanced. Train services and highways were closed throughout the Tuscan region, as well as schools.

Italian firefighters on flooded streets in the Tuscany region

Photo: via REUTERS, FIREFIGHTERS

The mayor of Prato was shocked by the heavy flooding that devastated the city overnight. By Friday morning, residents were already working on removing the damage.

“It was a shock, I want to cry. But even after an evening and night full of destruction, we have rolled up our sleeves and are ready to clean up and return our city to normal,” Mayor Mateo Bifoni wrote on social media.

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2023-11-03 09:58:52
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