After half a year of rain in Italy, more than 20 river banks burst in just one and a half days, killing 13 people and displacing thousands.
Almost all rivers between Bologna and the northeast coast, 115 kilometers away, have flooded, and more bodies were found on Thursday.
About 280 landslides occurred.
“It was a very bad 48 hours. Water and mud swallowed the whole village,” said 71-year-old Roberta Lazzarini. Flash floods hit her home in Bottegino di Zocca, south of Bologna, on Wednesday. Roads, homes, and gardens were flooded and Roberta said she was still scared.
Firefighters helped residents flee their homes, including a 97-year-old woman who was forced out of her bedroom in a rubber boat.
Further evacuations took place on Thursday in the west of Ravenna, after more bodies were found, including that of a married couple, in an apartment in Russi village that had been flooded hours earlier.
Many have warned that Italy needs a national plan to deal with the impacts of climate change. Protection Minister Nero Mussi said tropical conditions had already reached Italy, with 20 centimeters of rain in 36 hours and up to 50 centimeters in some areas.
He said no dams in the region have been built in the last 40 years, requiring a new approach to hydraulic engineering.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government called an emergency meeting on Tuesday.
