Rescue crews worked Thursday to reach towns and villages in northern Italy that are cut off from highways, electricity and cell phone service following heavy rains and flooding, as farmers warned of “incalculable” losses and authorities began mapping out cleanup and reconstruction plans.
The death toll from rains that pushed two dozen rivers and tributaries to burst their banks stood at nine, with some people still unaccounted-for, said Stefano Bonaccini, president of the hardest hit northern region of Emilia-Romagna.
