Italy is reeling from the aftermath of severe flooding caused by more than 20 rivers bursting their banks, resulting in the tragic loss of nine lives and the displacement of 13 000 people from their homes. The catastrophe unfolded when an unprecedented amount of rainfall, equivalent to six months’ worth, pounded the country within a day and a half. The impact was felt along the stretch between Rimini, on the northeast coast, and Bologna, spanning approximately 115km.
Cecina, Livorno, Tuscany – the flooded Cecina river due to heavy rains. Picture: Getty Images
The deluge triggered widespread flooding in almost every river along this route, leaving devastation. The torrential downpour also caused an alarming count of 280 landslides, compelling authorities to order additional evacuations overnight.
Roberta Lazzarini, a 71-year-old resident of Botteghino di Zocca, south of Bologna, recounted the harrowing experience: ‘It was a very bad 48 hours. Water and mud took over our whole village.’ Streets, houses, and gardens were submerged, leaving Roberta fearful. She remarked, ‘I’ve never seen anything like that here. We were stuck and didn’t know what to do. I hope it doesn’t happen again.’
Firefighters valiantly assisted residents in fleeing their homes, even resorting to a rubber dinghy to evacuate a 97-year-old woman from her bedroom. Ines, Roberta’s daughter and owner of the local café in the central square, lamented the shattered state of their community. She expressed, ‘We felt completely cut out, isolated. Some of us were truly terrified.’
Among those affected, Lamieri, aged 74, found himself clearing mud from his basement, where his son stored products for their souvenir shop in central Bologna. He lamented, ‘The street turned into a river. We lost all of our stuff that was stored down here. We estimate thousands of euros in damage.’
Antonio Francesco Rizzuto, a 55-year-old lawyer residing by the river with his wife, recounted their evacuation ordeal. ‘It was something no one was expecting in these proportions,’ he said. ‘Before we left our house, the water level was getting higher by the minute. When we got back yesterday… our living room was completely submerged. We will have to throw away most of our furniture.’
Stefano Bonaccini, the regional president of Emilia-Romagna, estimated that the damage costs reached billions of euros. As the crisis deepened, further evacuations were ordered in towns west of Ravenna, with residents in Villanova seeking refuge on upper floors after floodwaters engulfed the historic centre of Lugo. Lugo experienced a second round of flooding on Thursday, along with Cervi, located on the coast.
The Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix scheduled to take place at Imola was cancelled due to the risk of the nearby Santerno River flooding. The areas surrounding the race track, typically used for parking and spectator viewing, were submerged by the floodwaters on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, controversy arose surrounding the decision to proceed with a rock concert by Bruce Springsteen in Ferrara, despite the ongoing regional disaster. With 50,000 fans holding tickets for the sold-out event, local councillor Anna Ferraresi criticized the authorities for seemingly disregarding the plight of thousands in the region.
Many voices now urge Italy to establish a comprehensive national plan to address the increasingly severe impacts of climate change. Nello Musumeci, the Civil Protection Minister, noted that tropical conditions had already descended upon Italy, with 20 centimetres of rainfall occurring within 36 hours.
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