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Italian Regions Grapple with Damaging Storms
After a series of intense storms, Central Italy's beloved vacation spot, Tuscany, has fallen victim to another bout of heavy rain and powerful gusts. Over 16,000 households are currently without electricity, and more than 1,200 residents in the Florence vicinity have been ordered to evacuate as a precautionary measure, reported the region's president, Eugenio Giani. Regrettably, at least seven lives have been lost as a consequence of the storms affecting this area since Thursday evening.
The storms have notably impacted the provinces of Prato and Pistoia. The Bisenzio river and several smaller tributaries burst their banks, torrentially flooding numerous villages. Clean-up crews are now laboriously working in locations where the floodwaters have receded, with Giani sharing encouragement on his Facebook page, stating "Our Tuscany may be wounded, but we are already rebuilding. Onward!"
Sadly, other northern and central Italian regions have also faced inclement weather. Venice, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, and Liguria have all experienced heavy rain and gale force winds. Footage depicted the delightful towns of the Cinque Terre on the Ligurian Coast being battered by immense, towering waves. Reporters claim that the water from these waves even managed to infiltrate a few historic town centers in certain areas. Venice once again deployed its flood protection gates, or "Mose," to safeguard the city from further water invasions.
The intense rains and strong winds have led to floods in several villages nearby the Bisenzio river in Prato and Pistoia's provinces. Due to these emergencies, essential services such as electricity have been interrupted for over 16,000 households. The ongoing meteorological conditions also pose potential flood threats in other northern and central Italian regions, including Veneto, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, and Liguria.
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During these trying times, rescue and recovery efforts have had varying levels of success across affected Italian regions:
- Messina, Sicily:
- Rescue activities have involved over 150 interventions by firefighters, including saving motorists trapped in submerged underpasses. Emergency responders deployed inflatable boats to evacuate residents caught in their homes in the floodwaters, with no reported injuries.[1][4]
- Clean-up operations have been actively underway, clearing roads from floodwaters, thick mud, and debris. The city's mayor, Federico Basile, and Sicily's President, Renato Schifani, have closely monitored the situation and coordinated efforts to ensure quick assistance to those affected.[4]
- Tuscany:
- Flooding hit the provinces of Pisa and Lucca, along with the western side of Florence. In Cecina, police had to dive into the floodwaters to rescue motorists stranded in a flooded underpass. A landslide occurred in San Miniato, Pisa Province, burying part of a parking lot, damaging five cars.[1]
- Catania, Sicily:
- An Orange weather alert was issued for hail and heavy rainfall from Saturday through Sunday, causing flooding in Catania. The fire brigade launched several rescue missions, including saving an individual whose vehicle was swallowed by the floodwaters.[2]
