Bad weather in Italy: Declared the state of emergency

Storm in Italy

AFP - The death toll from the storms on Tuesday and Wednesday from Liguria (north) and north of Tuscany rose to seven dead Friday morning after the discovery of the body of a Romanian, while the Council of Ministers declared the state of emergency for devastated areas. Firefighters extracted the body Borghetto Vara, the town most affected Ligurian, after two days of research: the victim was invited to a friend, also died. Seven others are still missing. In the night, the A12 Genoa-Livorno was reopened to traffic in both directions after four days of traffic disruption due to a landslide that had blocked a tunnel.

An extraordinary cabinet meeting, convened Friday in Rome, proclaimed a state of emergency in areas hit by heavy rains that caused mudslides and devastated several towns. The proclamation of emergency rule avoids some red tape and accelerate the release of funds to help the affected populations. The Council of Ministers has also immediately released 65 million euros of aid. Many of them are still without electricity, gas and running water. People who have stayed in their homes are without heating and number of inhabitants had to be temporarily housed in hotels in the region. Furthermore Borghetto Vara, Aulla, in northern Tuscany, was particularly affected, and authorities evacuated 250 people from the historic center of Mulazzo, about ten km, due to fears of a landslide.

In the department of La Spezia (Liguria), where the tourist resorts of Cinque Terre, the towns of Monterosso and Vernazza are still isolated. According to the meteorological services, from 200 to 500 millimeters of rain fell in a few hours, causing overflowing rivers and streams, destroying many bridges and causing landslides and mudslides in several villages. Click here to find out more!