Rise in Flood Victims in Italy

The mayor of the Emilia-Romagna region, Stefano Bonaccini, stated on Thursday that at least 13 people have died in floods that hit the area, causing billions of euros in damage and severely impacting agriculture. He told reporters, "We are facing a new earthquake," recalling the devastating earthquake that struck the region in 2012 and destroyed thousands of homes. Heavy rains this week battered the eastern side of the region, known as Romagna, located in northern Italy, resulting in approximately 300 landslides, the flooding of 23 rivers, damage to or destruction of around 400 roads, and inundating 42 towns. The agricultural organization Coldiretti reported that over five thousand fields, including those known as the "fruit valley," as well as corn and grain fields, were flooded. The government has promised an additional 20 million euros ($22 million) in emergency aid, on top of the ten million euros allocated for floods that occurred two weeks ago, which claimed at least two lives. Ferrari, the luxury sports car manufacturer based in the Emilia-Romagna region, donated one million euros. At least ten thousand people have been forced to leave their homes, with many remaining in flooded areas without electricity. With the floods disrupting road and rail transport throughout the region, airport unions agreed to postpone a strike scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, at the government's request. In an effort to ease the pressure on emergency services, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, part of the Formula 1 World Championship, which was set to take place on Sunday in Imola close to many of the hardest-hit areas, has been canceled. This is the second time this month that the Emilia-Romagna region has faced severe weather, as at least two people died during storms in early May. Meteorologists noted that heavy rains fell on areas that had seen drought for months, reducing the soil's ability to absorb water and worsening the flooding effects.