Continue the emergency in Emilia-Romagna. On the third day of bad weather, the alert remains high especially in the area of Ravenna, where between the night and the morning two important centers Lugo and Cervia have been flooded. The road system is still compromised, with delayed trains and closed roads due to landslides in the Apennines. Queues of kilometers, but decreasing, on the A1 at Sasso Marconi. Throughout the Region, 27 people were left without electricity.
The part of Emilia-Romagna most affected by the floods will be in red alert tomorrow too: the civil protection has issued it for the area that includes the provinces of Ravenna, Forlì-Cesena, Rimini and Bologna, but the schools will reopen tomorrow. Weak rainfall is expected, but the alert concerns above all the propagation of the floods already underway in the valley stretches of all the watercourses involved, even if in progressive decrease. Landslides in mountainous and hilly areas continue to cause great concern.
Flood in Emilia-Romagna: the latest updates
I'm over 280 landslides caused by bad weather, of which 120 are particularly important in 58 municipalities: over 100 in the province of Forlì Cesena, and in particular 71 in Modigliana, on the Apennines. Instead, they are beyond 50 floods registered in 42 Municipalities: 15 in the Bologna area, 13 in the Ravenna area, 12 in the Forlì-Cesenate area, 2 in the Rimini area.
According to reports from Enel, they are 27.000 people without electricity in Emilia-Romagna. 700 E-Distribuzione technicians are at work to deal with the emergency. 4 helicopters are in the field and 170 generators and four power stations have already been mobilized to be able to supply emergency power as soon as the weather conditions allow the water to flow.
Currently over 3.100 people have found hospitality in offices set up by the Municipalities, of which 2.500 in the Ravenna area, 420 in the Bologna area, 200 in the Forlì-Cesena area and seven in the Rimini area, explained the Emilia-Romagna Region, taking stock of the emergency. Operations continue to secure those in homes at risk, and they also see them engaged 562 Firefighters arrived from outside the region, over 250 more than yesterday, equipped with over 125 vehicles.
Bonaccini: "Damage for a few billion"
“The extent of the devastation of the severe weather is that of another earthquake”, reiterated the president of the Region, Emilia-Romagna, Stefano Bonaccini. “They will be quantitatively minor damages, but they will be of a few billion euros – said the Governor to the microphones of Rai3 – As for the earthquake we will rebuild everything: we have told the government that we need many resources, but also expeditious regulations, there is a need for an extraordinary commissioner, obligations for the workers, to extend maturities, mortgage installments, many investments. Unfortunately we have a great deal of experience in this matter. Institutions must be obsessed with being close to people”.
Pope Francis: ""Vivid participation for the impressive disaster"
Papa Francesco sent a message to Cardinal Matteo Zuppi expressing “his sentiments of viva participation for the impressive disaster that hit the area." "He assures fervent prayers of suffrage for the deceased expressing condolences to the family", "invokes from God comfort for the wounded and consolation for those who suffer the consequences of the serious calamity". The Pope also thanks "all those who in these hours of particular difficulty are working to bring relief and alleviate all suffering, as well as the diocesan communities for the manifestation of communion and fraternal closeness to the most tried populations".
Highways: 9 km queue on the A1
Autostrade per l'Italia has completed the activities to make the landslide safe due to bad weather, in the section included between Sasso Marconi north and the junction with the A1 Very direct, in the direction of Florence, where traffic passes on two lanes and there are 9 kilometers of queues, decreasing. The third lane is excluded from traffic - specifies Aspi - to allow the technicians to maintain constant monitoring of the slope and allow the operations of the vehicles involved. To reduce congestion in the Bologna hub, vehicles weighing over 7,5 tonnes traveling along the A1 towards Bologna are diverted near Parma – where there are 12 kilometers of queues – along the A15 towards La Spezia, from which continue along the A12 towards Pisa and the A11 towards Florence, then rejoin the A1. The same route is recommended for light vehicles heading from Milan to Florence-Rome. Alternatively, for those coming from the North West, it is possible to follow the A7 towards Genoa, then the A12 towards Pisa, then the A11 towards Florence, to then take the A1 towards Rome.
