Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region is suffering from three rivers bursting their banks after Boris wreaked havoc across Central and Eastern Europe.
Some 1,000 people have been evacuated in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy after devastating floods triggered by Storm Boris wreaked havoc across Central and Eastern Europe.
The development came on Thursday ahead of a meeting between the leaders of four flood-hit European Union countries — Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria — and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the southwestern Polish city of Wroclaw.
Boris last week triggered the worst flooding in more than 20 years from Romania to Poland, killing at least 24 people before moving west.
In Italy, schools were closed and rail services were suspended in several provinces on Thursday.
In the town of Lugo, near Ravenna, authorities ordered the evacuation of all ground-floor homes after the local Senio river burst its banks.
“We are in a state of emergency,” Ravenna Mayor Michele De Pascale told Radio 24.
Irene Priolo, acting president of Emilia-Romagna, told public radio RAI that 250mm of rain had fallen in some areas and three rivers had burst their banks.
The national fire department said it had carried out more than 500 rescue operations in Emilia-Romagna, including by helicopter.
Floods and landslides also affected the neighbouring regions of Tuscany and Marche.
EU mechanism
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said the EU “must use and expand the instruments that have been created for disasters like this. I will ask Poland to activate the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.”
The Czech Republic has already applied for the activation of the aid mechanism.
Nehammer said the summit in Wroclaw would also discuss “better coordination of flood protection measures.”
In Poland, several towns and cities have been devastated by floods that have demolished houses, washed away bridges and severely damaged road and rail infrastructure.
In some areas, residents still lack drinking water and electricity.
Grassroots funding initiatives have been organised across the country as local authorities begin to assess the damage.
The Polish government says it has released 2 billion zlotys (470 million euros or 523 million dollars) in direct aid for people and localities affected by the floods.
Austria has said its disaster relief fund will be increased to 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) to help flood victims.
Experts say human-induced climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as torrential rains and floods.
