Meloni after severe storms in Italy in the flood zone: “It’s a tragedy” McCarthy on debt dispute: US government backs down

After the dramatic flooding caused by heavy rainfall in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, there is still no clarity. The highest red alert level also applies in parts of this area on the Adriatic coast on Monday, civil protection announced on Sunday.

The rain has eased and clean-ups were underway, but geologists are now warning of the danger of landslides in particular. The Ansa news agency quoted geologist Paride Antolini as saying that many roads had completely disappeared and had to be completely rebuilt. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited the affected areas on Sunday afternoon.

Meloni left the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, early to monitor developments from Italy. “My conscience demands that I return,” she said before leaving. In Emilia-Romagna she met, among others, the president of the region, Stefano Bonaccini.

As shown in a video circulating on social media, she visited Forlì and places in the province of Ravenna with a small delegation. In rubber boots, she addressed citizens on the street. The purpose of their visit is to get a sense of the situation – away from the spotlight. The government is now called upon to take immediate action to support the region. Meloni was moved: “It’s a tragedy.” It was not previously clear where the Italian head of government was after the landing in Rimini.

During the summit, the other heads of state and government showed her their solidarity. To deal with the floods, the EU wants to supply pumping equipment to Italy under the EU civil protection procedure. Pope Francis also reminded the population on Sunday after Regina Coeli’s midday prayer in Rome’s St. Peter’s Square about the areas affected by the dramatic flooding of recent days. He renewed his “connection from the heart”.

At least 14 people have died as a result of the flooding and landslides. Thousands had to be evacuated. The storms have wreaked havoc in the region. Entire fields and streets are under water or are now blocked by huge masses of mud. The landslides have also isolated many homes and farms. Since the start of the storm, Italian firefighters have been deployed on nearly 4,000 missions, it said on Sunday morning. Most missions were therefore in the areas around Bologna, Ravenna, Forlì-Cesena and Rimini.

Cleanup efforts are underway in affected areas. There, the helpers reveal serious damage. They amounted to a few billion euros, said vice president of Emilia-Romagna, Irene Priolo, on Saturday. In some places you have to “build the road network from scratch”.

A helicopter crashed during an operation in the flooded area on Saturday. There were four people on the plane – one of them was injured, the other three were unharmed, the Italian fire service said. The crash in the municipality of Lugo happened as the helicopter crew was in action to inspect power lines damaged by the storm, Ansa further reported.

Meanwhile, other Italian regions were also hit by storms over the weekend. The region of Calabria in the south of the Mediterranean in particular had to contend with strong winds. In the town of Reggio Calabria, a man was killed by a fallen tree. According to their own statements, firefighters also went on many missions in Sicily due to heavy rainfall. In the northern Italian region of Piedmont, there were sometimes heavy rainfall. For example, photographs in the capital Turin show how barriers were erected to restrict access to the River Po. (sda/dpa)