ROME, May 19. About 650 people captured Elements in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna were taken out by helicopter from the disaster area, a representative of the local fire service told reporters on Friday.
According to the Dire news agency, more than 300 residents of this northern region, which was hit by bad weather on Tuesday, were rescued by Italian Air Force helicopters.
According to the newspaper il Resto del Carlino, floods continued last night in many provinces of Emilia-Romagna, which forced the evacuation of entire areas, including the cities of Ravenna, Faenza, Forli, Cesena.
A particularly serious situation has developed in the province of Ravenna, many of whose inhabitants were forced to climb onto the roofs of houses in order to escape from the raging elements. «We are dealing with a unique emergency, the like of which has not been here for more than a hundred years. It requires the utmost dedication from all employees of the civil defense system,» said Ravenna Prefect Castrese De Rosa. Earlier, he called the situation in the province «apocalyptic».
The emergency situation arose on Tuesday when prolonged heavy rains hit Emilia-Romagna. In some areas of the region, a three-month rainfall fell in a day. As a result, 22 rivers burst their banks. Floods led to intensive flooding of territories, including about 80 settlements.
According to il Resto del Carlino, 15 people have already become victims of bad weather. About 5 thousand people were left without a roof over their heads. To prevent new victims, the authorities had to evacuate 13,000 residents. More than 20 thousand people were left without electricity, many do not have access to drinking water. For the fourth day in a row, many areas of Emilia-Romagna have been declared the highest «red» level of weather threat. Most local schools, preschools and sports facilities are closed until Monday.
Governor of Emilia-Romagna Stefano Bonacchini compared the consequences of bad weather with the damage from the devastating earthquake that occurred in the region on May 20, 2012. According to him, the material damage will amount to several billion euros.
On Tuesday, May 23, a special meeting of the Italian Council of Ministers will be held in Rome on the emergency situation in Emilia-Romagna.