Adrian Boschetto has been on paternity leave for a while in his partner's hometown of Faenza, about five miles southwest of Bologna in northern Italy.
In the past week, the region has been hit by severe flooding, resulting in the loss of at least 13 lives. Adrian and his family found themselves in the middle of the chaos.
"It's one of the worst-hit cities in the whole region," he says of Faenza.
"Went to fanders"
As the rain increased, the dams burst and the water from the river overflowed in "all directions".
"It went clean for fanders. The water was leaking in and filling out our apartment building. In a few hours, we had 3.5 meters above street level," he says.
Adrian, his partner, their one-year-old son and the family dog were forced to flee the building. They were helped by a man who paddled past the home in a rubber canoe.
– We had to tie a ladder with climbing ropes from the balcony and called for a private person in a canoe who came by by pure chance, he wanted to help people, says Adrian.
Afterwards, they went to their partner's parents, who have an apartment in the high city center that has not been as affected by the disaster.
"The shock doesn't go away, because you walk past people every day who have lost everything," says Adrian.
"Take several years"
It is still unclear when they can move back to their home because it lacks electricity. He says the apartment was one meter away from being submerged in water.
"We are waiting for information on when the electricity will start and if it will be habitable," he says.
The worst floods seem to be over in and around Faenza, according to Adrian. But the massive work of restoring the city remains.
"It's going to take months to just remove the mud, the sediment, that comes with the river because it's covered everything, and it weighs lead and it destroys everything," he says.
In addition, all affected house structures must be reviewed.
"That work will take several years.
Hear Swedish Adrian Boschetto about the disaster in Italy in the video player above.