The devastating floods that have wreaked havoc in Italy’s Emilia Romagna region have claimed the lives of 14 people, leading to mounting calls for the government to revive a previously abandoned project aimed at mitigating the impact of natural disasters.
Authorities in Ravenna have ordered the immediate evacuation of two small towns and issued an “extremely urgent” call for residents to limit their movements to a minimum as the region remains under a red weather alert. “The death toll has risen to 14,” confirmed a spokeswoman for the region.
The latest victim, a man, was discovered in a flooded house in Faenza, a typically picturesque city surrounded by lush green pastures and vineyards that has been largely submerged following the relentless downpour earlier this week.
Nearly half of the 10,000 people evacuated from their homes sought refuge in local centers established in gyms or hotels, while others received hot meals from mobile kitchens deployed across several cities.
Residents in Faenza are working tirelessly to clear mud from their homes, creating mountains of soaked mattresses, clothes, and furniture.
In Ravenna, the rain continues to fall, and Mayor Massimo Isola described the situation in the surrounding hillside hamlets as “disastrous.”
As rescue workers search for individuals still stranded by the floodwaters, details are emerging about the final moments of some of the victims.
One such victim, 75-year-old Giovanni Pavani, refused to leave his house on Tuesday, assuring his neighbor Marina Giocometti that he had secured the windows with sandbags and would be safe, according to the Corriere della Sera daily. He remained on the phone with her as the waters started rushing in, saying, “I’m cold, so cold. The furniture is floating around the house,” before the line abruptly cut off.
The viral rescue of a three-year-old boy from his mother’s arms, as she stood in chest-deep water outside her house desperately calling for help, captured the world’s attention on Wednesday. Fabiana, the boy’s mother, recounted the incident, expressing her eternal gratitude for the selflessness of a Serbian cook named Dorde, who swam to her, took the boy, and carried him to safety on his shoulder. She said, “I told my son it was a game and he had to climb as high as possible on the person who picked him up.”
The intense downpour, which brought half a year’s worth of rainfall in just 36 hours, has caused billions of euros in damages and raised national concerns about the lack of climate change mitigation efforts.
Read more: Italy cancels Grand Prix after devastating floods
In 2014, former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi established a task force called Italia Sicura (Safe Italy), which focused on flood and landslide prevention. However, the project was abandoned in 2018 by Giuseppe Conte, then head of a coalition government comprising the populist Five Star Movement and right-wing League. It was subsequently replaced by an ineffective initiative that failed to take off.
Italy’s Flood Aftermath Highlights the Need for Proactive Measures
As Italy grapples with the aftermath of these devastating floods, the need for proactive measures to address climate change and prevent future natural disasters has become increasingly urgent. The government is facing mounting pressure to revive and reinforce initiatives aimed at safeguarding communities and mitigating the impact of extreme weather events.
