Italy increased the death toll in the floods to 14, and the displaced to 15,000

There are already 14 dead from floods which devastated the center of Italy, and especially the region Emilia-Romagna, the industrial and agricultural-food engine of the transalpine country. At the moment, there are around 15,000 displaced people, but the number could increase: it rained again yesterday, and it is expected to rain again this weekend. All the victims are elderly, except for a 44-year-old resident of Bologna who drowned in his basement well while trying to connect a water pump hose. A neighbor told regional media: “Terrible.”

There were some in the affected areas 300 landslides and nearly 500 cut roads, some destroyed. The most affected province is Ravenna, on the coast. Today, this city, which was the capital of the Western Roman Empire and boasted one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean for centuries, looks fearfully into the water. Many areas are flooded and canals in the area are a concern for everyone. In addition to ordering the evacuation of at-risk areas, in an attempt to protect the city, the authorities built an earthen barrier at the most vulnerable point. The council sent a message to residents: “Those who don’t need to be evacuated […] They shouldn’t be moving at all.”

The owner of a farm in the province has raised the alarm: 50 of his pigs have drowned in up to five feet of water, and another 3,000 are still in danger. The mayor of Casola Valsenio, a town in the hills, said: “We have dozens of landslides, 92 kilometers of municipal roads are closed. Our territory is isolated from the rest of the world.

In Lugo, the Civil Protection uses inflatable boats to bring food to residents trapped in homes who drop baskets from the windows, and supermarkets in some areas of the province of Ravenna are already running out of water and food, in a region known for its food and wines, from tortellini to mortadella, from Lambrusco to lasagna . However, the situation is critical in other parts of the region, and the weather forecasts are not improving: Heavy rainfall is expected this Saturday in the region, and the red alert continues for the eastern half.