Floodwaters have swept through homes and roads in multiple towns in northern and central Italy due to heavy storms in recent days, resulting in the deaths of several people, according to reports.
Landslides also struck the said regions following prolonged heavy rain across the country. Some residents of the affected regions were forced to seek refuge on their homes' rooftops to avoid floodwaters.
The situation remains volatile as local authorities have warned torrential rain continues, prompting further flood risks. While emergency operations have been carried out by authorities, many people are still reportedly trapped inside their homes, based on local sources on Wednesday, May 17. Search efforts will also continue as many others remain missing.
Flooding in the northern-central parts of the European country this week was mainly a result of riverine flooding, the overflow of bodies of water like rivers above their banks.
As a result, communities near them are at heightened risk of being submerged, as seen from the recent incident. In relation to the natural disaster, Italy has been on the list of being vulnerable to climate change in recent years.
Italy Flood Casualties and Evacuations
Flooded bungalows are pictured in Cesena on May 17, 2023 after heavy rains caused major floodings in central Italy. Trains were stopped and schools were closed in many towns while people were asked to leave the ground floors of their homes and to avoid going out, and five people have died after the floodings across Italy's northern Emilia Romagna region.
Heavy storms pummeled through Italy's northern region of Emilia Romagna as of Wednesday, killing eight people and forcing the evacuation of thousands of others. This came after 21 rivers overflowed and submerged entire towns, The Guardian reported.
One of the victims involved a German woman whose body was found on a beach in the town of Cesenatico along the Adriatic coast. However, it is still unclear if her death was linked to the storms. In the city of Ravena, 5,000 people were evacuated from their homes.
According to authorities, over 13,000 residents are being forced to evacuate in the region as the victims died from flash flooding and mudslides, CNN reported.
In the city of Forli, three individuals died, while another was also killed in Cesenate city. A couple also died in the village of Ronta di Cesena, according to attendees during an emergency meeting led by the country's Council of Ministers on Wednesday, as cited by the U.S. media company.
Drought Before Rain
Prior to the flooding rain, Italy experienced drought in its northern region, which reduced its capacity to store water. However, 'exceptional rains' occurred in the drought-stricken northern Italy, forcing local officials to warn that the country needs an urgent national plant to combat flooding, believed to be caused by climate change, The Associated Press reported.
Earlier in May, Emilia Romagna and some areas of the Marche regions were also struck by flooding and killed two people. In a risk assessment in 2021, it was found that 9.8% of Italy's landscape is prone to natural hazard events like flooding, as well as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, according to the United Nations' PreventionWeb site.
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