Heavy rain has led to severe flooding in Emilia-Romagna and Marche, with over 800 interventions by firefighters since yesterday. The most affected areas include Lugo (Ravenna), where the Senio River overflowed, impacting the Emiliano Romagnolo Canal, which may affect areas like Villa San Martino and Saponara. The Lugo municipality has advised residents in these areas to move to higher floors with essentials such as water, food, medications, and phone chargers. Lugo’s mayor, Elena Zannoni, compared the situation to the 2023 Emilia-Romagna flood, noting that 100 millimeters of rain fell within an hour last night, with more rain expected.
The national firefighter corps continues to respond in Emilia-Romagna, where a red alert remains in place due to the severe weather. Over the past 24 hours, more than 500 rescue operations have been conducted. The situation is particularly dire in the Ravenna province, where two Drago helicopters are assisting in evacuations due to rising water levels caused by the Senio and Lamone rivers. In Casola Valsenio, firefighters are dealing with landslides blocking roads. In Forlì-Cesena, water rescue teams have evacuated 14 people, including seven disabled residents, and about a hundred animals threatened by flooding.
In Marche, firefighters have completed 300 rescue operations since yesterday. Efforts have been focused on Ascoli Piceno, specifically in Ponterotto, where motorists were stranded by water and mud along the SP36 road. Rescue operations for flooding have also taken place in Cupra Marittima and Grottammare. In Ancona, six families in Osimo were evacuated late last night due to a landslide threatening their homes on Via Montecesa. The overflow of the Arzilla River in Pesaro-Urbino has disrupted traffic on SP 144. The national rescue operation has been reinforced with additional experts in water and river rescue sent from Lombardy, Tuscany, and Campania.
