Italy and France are struggling with floods

21.10.2024

In the past week Italy and central France were hit by storms and heavy rainfall which resulted in flooding in many places. A severe weather warning will remain in effect until at least Tuesday.

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During the heavy downpours the most rain fell in the Italian region of Emilia Romagna. Rainfall stations recorded more than 160 millimeters of rain here. One person also died in the region who was swept away by a flood wave in the town of Pianoro.

The army was also dispatched to Castel Maggiore to help rescuers and firefighters. Firefighters carried out the most interventions in the city of Bologna where the Ravone, Savena and Zena streams including the Icice river overflowed their banks.

In the village of Cadelbosco di Sopra the Crostolo torrent which is a tributary of the Po River overflowed and evacuations were subsequently carried out here. Even distant Sicily was not spared this time by flooding. Firefighters here had to rescue several residents who were surprised by flash floods from the roofs.

In the province of Agrigento the rains flooded the Salto River which subsequently flooded part of the coastal town of Licato. The Tuscan river Elsa also overflowed its banks and residents of Florence were advised to avoid travel during these days.

At the same time that Italy was struggling with floods a similar situation prevailed in central France. In France, extensive damage and power outages are recorded after the floods. The floods hit the village of Limony which lies on the banks of the Rhône river the most.

A thousand residents were evacuated to safety in France on Friday and French Prime Minister Michel Bernier said that firefighters and rescuers had already been involved in more than 2,300 operations. After the water receded many residents found their homes destroyed. French weather agency Meteo France said 685 millimeters of rain had fallen in two days in some areas of the Ardèche and Lozere.

Source:Euronews/Editorial