Italy approves $2.2 billion relief package for flood-hit areas

FILE PHOTO: A view shows a flooded street after heavy rains hit Italy's Emilia Romagna region, in Lugo, Italy, May 19, 2023. REUTERS/Claudia Greco/File Photo

Italy approved an emergency relief package worth more than 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) to help flood-hit areas in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday.

Almost a week on from the disaster, about 23,000 people are still homeless and some cities remain flooded, while thousands of acres of particularly fertile farmland have been wrecked.