The Senio river has overflowed in
Castel Bolognese near Ravenna and the water is reaching the
central part of the city while across the Emilia-Romagna region
over 1,000 people have been evacuated amid worsening weather
conditions as incessant rain is swelling rivers, local
authorities said Thursday.
In addition to the 800 people evacuated in the area of Ravenna,
165 others were forced to leave their homes in the area of
Bologna and spent the night at hosting centres made available by
municipal administrations and local prefectures.
Local authorities urged residents to remain indoors, on the top
floors of buildings with water, food, medicines, essential
items, cell phones and batteries.
The worst-hit provinces were Bologna, Cesena, Forlì, Ravenna and
Rimini.
In May 2023, Emilia Romagna was hit by flooding and landslides
linked to unprecedented rainfall that left 15 people dead and
caused billions of euros of damage.
On Thursday, the most critical situations concerned the rivers
Lamone, Marzeno and Senio in the area of Ravenna and the Montone
near Forlì.
Overflowing rivers however have so far spared urban centres
where river banks have been holding up so far, local authorities
said.
The regional government is monitoring the situation of rivers
and streams swollen by unprecedented rain over the past few days
with critical situations recorded in a number of areas that were
already flooded in May 2023.
Meanwhile the circulation of trains in Emilia Romagna was
suspended in the night between Wednesday and Thursday, in
particular between Forlì and Faenza, Ravenna and
Castelbolognese, Ferrara and Faenza due to critical weather
conditions and the risk of rivers in the area overflowing their
banks, Italian railway company Trenitalia said Thursday.
About seven highspeed and Intercity trains were cancelled while
11 others were subjected to route limitations, among others.
Schools in four provinces of Emilia Romagna - Bologna,
Forlì-Cesena, Rimini and Ravenna - remained closed on Thursday.
Interim Governor Irene Priolo told people to avoid all
unnecessary travel in these areas.
And the dire weather conditions on Thursday affected other
Italian regions, in particular the Marche.
The Aspio stream overflowed in Ancona, isolating entire areas of
the Marche city while the majority of streets were closed.
The road of San Biagio and the areas of Paterno-Montesicuro were
isolated due to a number of landslides, local authorities said.
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