2023-11-05 08:13:35
The central Italian region of Tuscany has once more been hit by severe storms. Heavy rainfall was reported for the fourth day in a row in the provinces of Massa Carrara, Lucca, Pisa, Pistoia, Firenze (Florence), Livorno and Arezzo. Because two streams threatened to overflow their banks, 1,200 people in the municipalities of Montemurlo, Montale and Prato had to leave their homes, the President of the Tuscany region, Eugenio Giani, announced on Saturday evening.
Several neighborhoods in the city of Prato, north of Florence, were without water and residents had to be supplied with water by truck. Seven people died in the storms on Friday, including some seniors.
In Tuscany, not as much rain has fallen in such a short period of time for 50 years, explained regional president Giani. It hasn’t rained so much since 1966. Hundreds of members of rescue units and volunteers were deployed to clear mud and debris from the streets of the affected communities. Water pumps were in constant use.
There were also problems in other Italian regions due to the storms. The level of the Po continued to rise and flooded several hundred hectares of fields in the area of the city of Mantua. The situation along Italy’s longest river is constantly being monitored by the authorities.
The northern Italian region of Veneto was also badly hit by the storms, as were Emilia Romagna and Lombardy. Devastating storms had already occurred in Emilia Romagna in May, killing 15 people and causing billions of dollars in damage. There was also heavy rainfall in the capital Rome on Sunday.
The bad weather front is expected to continue over the next few days. On Sunday, the municipality of Venice switched on the MOSE dam system for the second time in a week to protect the city center from flooding. Temperatures also fell in Sicily. Snow fell on the volcano Etna.
The government in Rome declared a state of emergency on Friday due to the storms. As a result, five million euros were released for initial relief measures, said Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. She expressed her condolences to the population affected by the storms.
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