Current:Home > Contact-usCatastrophic flooding in Italy leaves 9 dead, forces thousands to evacuate-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Catastrophic flooding in Italy leaves 9 dead, forces thousands to evacuate
View Date:2024-12-23 15:42:21
A major disaster is underway in northern Italy, where massive flooding is blamed for at least nine deaths. Thousands of people have been forced out of their homes in the drought-affected region north of Florence.
Many have been rescued, including a pregnant woman, an elderly man and a small child seen clutching for dear life amid rising floodwaters.
"I've lived here since 1979," said Cesena resident Edoardo Amadori. "I've seen floods go by, but I've never seen anything like this."
Powerful rapids swelling from rivers have washed away bridges, submerged cars and left thousands homeless. Firefighters have waded through water with flashlights, looking for people to rescue.
But many are still missing after rainstorms stretched across a swath of northern Italy and the Balkans for days. "Apocalyptic" floods, as well as landslides and evacuations, were also reported in Bosnia, Slovenia and Croatia.
Experts blame climate change. Last summer, the same region experienced its worst drought in 70 years. The Po River Valley, which produces 40% of the country's food, was in a government state of emergency.
Now, 10 months later, that same arid soil can hardly absorb the torrential rainfall amounting to roughly 20 inches in some parts — equal to six months of rainfall — in only 36 hours.
Formula One was forced to cancel this weekend's Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix to not overtax emergency crews, which are already stretched thin.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Chris LivesayChris Livesay is a CBS News foreign correspondent based in Rome.
TwitterveryGood! (667)
Related
- Biden EPA to charge first-ever ‘methane fee’ for drilling waste by oil and gas companies
- Shawn Johnson East Shares First Photos of Baby No. 3 and Hints at Baby Name
- LA Bowl put Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Kimmel in its name but didn't charge for it. Here's why.
- Pope Francis calls for global treaty to regulate artificial intelligence: We risk falling into the spiral of a technological dictatorship
- Ariana Grande's Brunette Hair Transformation Is a Callback to Her Roots
- Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco Pack on the PDA During Intimate NYC Moment
- Salaam Green selected as the city of Birmingham’s inaugural poet laureate
- Virginia to close 4 correctional facilites, assume control of state’s only privately operated prison
- 2 weeks after Peanut the Squirrel's euthanasia, owner is seeking answers, justice
- Doping law leads to two more indictments, this time against coaches who used to be elite sprinters
Ranking
- Love Is Blind’s Chelsea Blackwell Reacts to Megan Fox’s Baby News
- One fourth of United Methodist churches in US have left in schism over LGBTQ ban. What happens now?
- 'Mayday': Small plane crashes onto North Carolina interstate; 2 people sent to hospital
- Tori Spelling Reveals 16-Year-Old Liam Suffered Fall Down the Stairs Before Surgery
- Why the US celebrates Veterans Day and how the holiday has changed over time
- Court denies review of Pac-12 appeal, handing league control to Oregon State, Washington State
- Judge blocks Arkansas law that took away board’s ability to fire state corrections secretary
- Ben Napier still courts wife Erin: 'I wake up and I want her to fall in love with me'
Recommendation
-
'Climate change is real': New York parks employee killed as historic drought fuels blazes
-
How Shop Around the Corner Books packs a love of reading into less than 500 square feet
-
Love him or hate him, an NFL legend is on his way out. Enjoy Al Michaels while you can.
-
Lawsuit says prison labor system in Alabama amounts to 'modern-day form of slavery'
-
Conviction and 7-year sentence for Alex Murdaugh’s banker overturned in appeal of juror’s dismissal
-
US government injects confusion into Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election
-
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore says Orioles lease at Camden Yards headed to a vote
-
Arizona’s governor is sending the state’s National Guard to the border to help with a migrant influx