An extreme weather 'red alert' on
Friday was in place in many areas of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna
amid torrential rain and flooding.
In Tuscany, schools were closed in several cities including
Florence where they were set to remain shut on Saturday.
Museums, cinemas, theatres, libraries, sport centres, gardens,
markets and cemeteries were among public areas which were also
closed in Tuscany's main city at least until 2 pm on Saturday
under an order signed by Mayor Sara Funaro.
Rivers were above 'alert level 1', in particular the Arno in
Florence, as well as in the nearby towns of Bagno a Ripoli,
Lastra a Signa and Montelupo, Tuscany Governor Eugenio Giani
wrote on Telegram on Friday morning.
Later on Friday, Giani requested the mobilization of the
national civil protection due to the risks posed by the
intensity and extension of the weather emergency, which affected
in particular the cities of Prato, Pistoia and Pisa, in addition
to Florence, which were all on 'red alert'.
The Municipality of Prato north of Florence ordered the shutdown
of all commercial and industrial activities.
The measure is valid at least until midnight.
The municipal administration said the level of precaution was
necessary due to the risk that local rivers and streams might
overflow their banks.
The mayor of the nearby town of Campi Bisenzio, Andrea
Tagliaferri, also ordered the shutdown of all stores and
businesses on Friday and Saturday.
Public and private offices, except those guaranteeing essential
services, will also remain closed in Campi, which was severely
affected by floods in 2023.
Heavy rain also pummelled the Emilia-Romagna region, in
particular Forlì, Ravenna, Bologna and Ferrara with rivers above
alert levels including the Senio, Lamone and Santerno in the
Appennine areas, the official weather website Emilia-Romagna
Meteo reported on Facebook.
The Lamone in particular, which crosses both Tuscany and
Emilia-Romagna, reached a red alert level in Marradi, near
Florence, over fears it might break its banks.
And Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci on Friday signed a
decree to declare a state of extraordinary mobilization of the
national civil protection service for Emilia-Romagna.
The measure was necessary to deal with the critical situation
and requested by Emilia-Romagna Governor Michele de Pascale,
with the approval of the National civil protection department,
local authorities said.
In particular, the civil protection and local environment
protection agency Arpae extended an extreme weather 'red alert'
over the risk of rivers overflowing their banks and floods to
Romagna.
The 'red alert' will remain in place on Saturday along the coast
and in the region's flat areas, in particular around Bologna and
in the provinces of Ravenna, Forlì-Cesena, Rimini, and Ferrara.
In Bologna on Thursday night, local authorities had already
ordered the evacuation of ground floor rooms from 10 pm amid the
alert issued by environmental agency Arpae.
Residents were ordered to evacuate the basements, semi-basements
and ground floors of buildings located in particular in streets
in the Borgo Panigale-Reno, Navile, Porto-Saragozza, Santo
Stefano and Savena neighborhoods until the end of the emergency.
Meanwhile intense rain also pummelled the entire Veneto region
on Friday.
Bad weather was also forecast uacross the northeastern region on
Saturday .
In Venice, the MOSE anti-flooding system - which operated for
the 100th time on Wednesday since its inauguration in 2020 -
protected the city from high tides with sea levels reaching an
average altitude of 115 centimetres outside the lagoon on
Friday.
Many of the areas affected by the bad weather in Emilia-Romagna
were the same ones hit by flooding and landslides last September
and in May 2023 which were linked to unprecedented rainfall that
left 17 people dead and caused billions of euros of damage.
In Tuscany, eight people died in 2023 after rivers burst their
banks following torrential rain in areas including Prato and
Campi Bisenzio.
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