The Italian regions of Emilia-Romagna and Marche continue to be hit by severe storms. After heavy rainfall, the areas on the Adriatic coast have experienced dramatic flooding. Two people were killed in Forlì and Cesena, as the Ansa news agency reported early Wednesday morning. One man was on the ground floor of his house during the flood and drowned. There are also reports of missing persons.
According to its own information, the Italian fire brigade has been deployed to 600 operations in Emilia-Romagna alone since Tuesday morning and was there with 400 firefighters on site. The emergency services rescued, for example, people who were trapped in their homes by the water, or motorists stranded in the water masses.
In the city of Cesena, where the Savio River has burst its banks, emergency services have rescued dozens of people trapped on the roofs of their homes. Elsewhere, a helicopter unit rescued a family with two young children who were stuck in their home due to the flooding.
Already on Tuesday there were floods in Emilia-Romagna and the Marche. More than 900 people had to be evacuated for safety reasons, as rivers or streams overflowed their banks or at least threatened to overflow due to the heavy rain. Some rail connections had to be closed. In some cities, schools have also been closed and due to the strong winds, municipalities on the Adriatic have issued a ban on access to their beaches.
In view of the situation on the ground, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also expressed her "full solidarity" with the people in the affected regions. "The government is closely monitoring the development of events and is ready to take the necessary relief measures," she wrote on Twitter.