The president of the Emilia Romagna region, Stefano Bonacini, said today that the damage from the wave of bad weather over the past three days amounts to billions of euros. Last night, due to continuous rains, the wider area of ​​Ravenna was also flooded. More specifically, in the cities of Lugo and Cervia, the water level exceeded one meter and the electricity supply, as well as the telephone connections, have been interrupted.

Rescue crews continue to arrive in the affected areas from all over the country. The death toll has reached nine dead, while 13,000 people have been forced to leave their homes. The Italian Fire Service has mobilized almost 800 men, with 250 vehicles. At the same time, members of the Civil Protection, the Italian army, the carabinieri and the police, as well as the coast guard, are operating in the flooded areas, using helicopters.

The Italian Minister of the Environment, Gilberto Piketo Fratin, speaking on Rai radio, underlined that “on the 23rd of the month, the cabinet of the Meloni government will declare a state of natural disaster in the Emilia Romagna region and new, specific measures will be approved, such as the freezing of payment of taxes and loans for residents”.

In the meantime, after yesterday’s stoppage of traffic, roads and highways have reopened. However, due to a new landslide, the queue of cars on the A1 highway (which connects Milan to Naples) at this time exceeds 14 kilometers.