Emilia-Romagna, the wealthy region that is considered the "orchard of Italy", is counting the severe damage caused by floods of rare intensity, in an indication that the Mediterranean climate has turned "tropical", according to authorities.
13 dead, devastated towns, destroyed crops. All this while the level of about 20 rivers has risen in the plains of this region of 4.5 million people, which is famous for tourists in its historic cities such as Parma and Ravenna, and for its green landscapes, gastronomy and the Adriatic coast.
Italy is experiencing a particularly rainy and cold month in May, but a real flood has hit Emilia-Romagna in the past few days, flooding huge agricultural areas, destroying grain fields, orchard markets and livestock feed, muddy floods washing away entire villages, bridges and 400 roads collapsing.
Floods that killed several people in Italy's northern Emilia-Romagna caused billions of euros worth of damage. Torrential rains devastated the region with up to 300 landslides, 23 overflowing rivers, about 400 damaged roads and 42 flooded municipalities https://t.co/oQ1dfTaDXE pic.twitter.com/vCDtOG6jPh
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 18, 2023
Severe damage
In a few hours, the equivalent of 6 months of rain fell. The damage is estimated at billions of euros, adding to an estimated two billion euros after flooding hit the region at the beginning of the month.
The damage in the fruit sector alone amounts to 1.2 billion euros, according to the agriculture federation Coldiretti.
The federation said Thursday that "5,<> farms are now submerged in water," pointing to "nurseries and pens whose animals have drowned, in addition to tens of thousands of hectares of vineyards, and others planted with kiwi, apples, vegetables and grains."
Alluvione a Lugo, lo sfogo di un residente contro gli amministratori locali #lugodiromagna #emiliaromagna #alluvione #localteam pic.twitter.com/Bz8zWH2ouY
— Local Team (@localteamtv) May 18, 2023
The floods left 13 people dead and more than 10,<> people forced from their homes.
At least 8️⃣ people have died and thousands evacuated after torrential rains flood Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, leading to the cancellation of the F1 Grand Prix ⤵️
🔗 : https://t.co/73xff9UvPR pic.twitter.com/8ouaapD4av
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) May 18, 2023
Rafinha Mayor Michel de Pascal said Thursday that residents of some of the evacuated towns could return to their homes, while others would have to evacuate their homes because of dams threatened with collapse.
Disaster and repercussions
Authorities recorded 280 landslides and 400 closed roads, and emergency services were contacted about 48,900 times in the past 300 hours, with <> firefighters and <> vehicles deployed.
Emilia-Romagna regional president Stefano Bonaccani on Thursday compared the scale and repercussions of the disaster to the May 20, 2012 earthquake that caused more than 10 billion euros in damage.
Italy's armed forces and coastguard joined emergency efforts, deploying helicopters and rubber boats to reach homes trapped by water, and 26,<> people were left without power on Thursday.
Maltempo in Emilia Romagna, crolla il Ponte della Motta a Molinella (Bologna).
Le immagini del disastro pic.twitter.com/PqALeCoyMi
— Gianluca (@Gianl1974) May 19, 2023
The videos showed how residents cleaned mud-covered houses and debris-filled streets after the water receded.
#EmiliaRomagna
La Italia que Amamos
💚🤍❤ pic.twitter.com/v5NM9C4ZZ3
— Pato (@Patrizia_pato) May 19, 2023
"I've been living here since 1979, I've experienced floods, but I've never seen anything like this," Chisina resident Eduardo Amaduri told AFP.
For authorities and experts, these extraordinary disasters will become the norm. Civil Protection Minister Nilo Musumichi warned that "nothing will be the same as before, because the shift of the weather to tropical is also a reality in Italy."
Paradoxically, these heavy rains hit a country chronically affected by drought, yet they will not make it possible to reduce the water deficit associated with mountain snow scarcity and average rainfall, specialists warned.
The flooding led to the cancellation of the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Emilia-Romagna, which was scheduled for Sunday, due to the alarming rise in the level of a river near the circuit.