Homes are being evacuated in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna as Storm Boris, which has killed at least 24 people in central and eastern Europe since last week, swept into the country, causing severe flooding and landslides.
Pounding rain hit Emilia-Romagna late on Wednesday afternoon and the situation rapidly worsened as night fell.
Jader Dardi, the mayor of Modigliana, a town in Forlì-Cesena province that was also hit badly by devastating regional flooding in May 2023, said the river had “exploded”.
“The situation is very dramatic,” he told Sky TG 24. “It is worse than in 2023.”
Water surged downstream, causing floods in the hamlet of Marzeno in Brisighella.
“A sudden and large wave is arriving from Modigliana, passing through the hamlet of Marzeno,” according to a message on the social media page of Brisighella’s town hall urging people in the affected areas to evacuate their homes. Displaced people would be accommodated in a school, the post added.
Luca Della Godenza, the mayor of Castel Bolognese, said the situation was “well beyond the worst forecasts”.
“The situation is getting worse and it’s getting worse more rapidly,” he wrote on Facebook. “The river level is constantly being monitored and has reached 6.19 metres in Tebano. The fire brigade and local police have been mobilised and will be using megaphones to warn citizens of the serious situation we’re experiencing.”
He urged residents in the area to ascend to the higher floors of their homes.
The Savena river in Bologna was also rising rapidly, the town hall warned on Wednesday night. Officials have ordered the evacuation of ground floor and basement homes in the affected areas.
Some roads have also been blocked due to landslides.
Severe weather warnings are in place in Emilia-Romagna and neighbouring Marche for the next 24-36 hours. Schools will be closed on Thursday and people have been advised to avoid travel and, where possible, to work from home.
The flooding in Emilia-Romagna in May 2023 claimed 17 lives and caused €8.5bn (£7.2bn) worth of damage.
Since last week Storm Boris has brought widespread flooding and torrential rain in the Czech Republic, Romania, Poland and Austria. The death toll rose to at least 24 on Wednesday as the Czech Republic reported its fourth and fifth victims.
Scientists say that extreme rainfall and flooding have become increasingly common and more intense because of human-caused climate breakdown.
The EU’s crisis management commissioner, Janez Lenarčič, said on Wednesday that flooding in central Europe and deadly forest fires in Portugal were joint proof of the climate crisis.
“Make no mistake. This tragedy is not an anomaly. This is fast becoming the norm for our shared future,” Lenarčič told MEPs. “Europe is the fastest warming continent globally and is particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events.”
