FAENZA, ITALY (AP) – Rescue crew worked on Thursday to reach towns and villages in northern Italy still isolated by heavy rains and flooding, as the death toll rose to 13 and authorities began mapping out cleanup and reconstruction plans.
The extreme weather behind this week’s disaster – a prolonged drought punctuated by 36 hours of intense rainfall, two weeks after another downpour – led to two dozen rivers and tributaries bursting their banks. The force of water sent torrents of mud tearing through entire towns in Emilia-Romagna, flooding storefronts and basements.
Local mayors warned that some remote villages were still completely cut off because landslides had made roads impassable and phone service remained severed. That has prevented rescue teams from reaching residents and authorities from understanding the full scope of their needs, said Mercato Seraceno Mayor Monica Rossi.
“If it rains any more, the situation will be tragic,” Rossi warned on Sky TG24, standing on a road with a chunk missing from a landslide.
The death toll rose to 13 after more bodies were discovered on Thursday in the hard-hit province of Ravenna, state-run RAI television reported, citing the Ravenna prefecture.
Among them: a couple in their 70s found dead in their flooded apartment in Russi after their son sounded the alarm that he had lost contact with them. By Thursday morning, some parts of the city of Faenza were still underwater, with cars submerged and basements swamped by thick, gooey mud.
One family standing on their balcony said they didn’t have electricity, gas or food. Other residents took shelter at a local gymnasium, where soldiers set up cots on the basketball court for new arrivals.
More than 10,000 people fled their homes, some plucked from rooftops or balconies by rescue helicopters and others ferried out on dinghies. One family with a 20-day-old baby was rescued on Thursday morning, said Cesena Mayor Enzo Lattuca.
