12:02, 23/05/2023
According to a VNA correspondent in Italy, on May 21, the Emilia-Romagna region remained on red alert, with returning rains causing large areas to remain submerged and landslides to continue, especially in the Apennines mountain areas.
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| Flooding after heavy rains in Ghibullo, Emilia-Romagna region, Italy, May 20, 2023. |
Emilia-Romagna Vice President and Director of Civil Protection Irene Priolo said around 100 cities and towns in the region had been damaged by floods, three times the number affected by the devastating earthquake that hit the region in 2012. The floods caused more than 305 landslides and damaged or closed more than 500 roads, with damage running into billions of euros.
“From above, the area looks like it has been bombed,” Priolo told a news conference. “In some areas, we will have to rebuild new roads, completely changing the shape of the road network.” Meanwhile, Bologna Mayor Matteo Lepore said it would take “months and in some places years” to repair roads and infrastructure.
According to the Emilia-Romagna regional government, in addition to at least 14 people killed, the number of people displaced by the floods has risen to over 36,600, most of whom (27,775) have been forced to leave their homes in the province of Ravenna, where the situation is particularly bad, with a lack of drinking water and food in some areas; 4,830 in the province of Forlì-Cesena and 4,012 in the Bologna metropolitan area.
Two spells of rain, 15 days apart, have dumped an average amount of rain on Emilia-Romagna for the entire year, after two years of drought that has left the ground cracked and impermeable, washing away topsoil and destroying orchards, vineyards and fields ready for harvest. Thousands of farms remain underwater, and countless livestock have drowned or are at risk of starvation, as the rain continues.
The Italian Confederation of Agriculture (Confagricontura) estimates the economic damage per hectare at 6,000 euros ($6,500) for crops such as wheat, barley, corn, soybeans, sunflowers, alfalfa and other grain crops. The damage to orchards, vineyards and olive groves is five times higher, at 32,000 euros ($35,000) per hectare.
Meanwhile, the National Farmers’ Federation (Coldiretti) said the damage was “incalculable” in the worst-hit sector, fruit and vegetables. “The stagnant water in orchards will ‘suffocate’ the roots until they rot and risk destroying the entire crop, which will take years to produce again,” the statement said. Up to 40 cities with such crops are now under water.
Harvested crops are also at risk. “In many places, water has entered warehouses and the grain is soaked, causing huge economic losses,” warned Massimo Masetti, director of the Ravenna Provincial Agricultural Association.
Farming organizations say more than 5,000 farms with greenhouses/nurseries and barns are now underwater. While the hilltop towns have escaped flood damage, after days without food, water and electricity, the situation is dire.
Emilia-Romagna is one of the richest regions in Italy. It contributes 9.1% of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and has an employment rate of 68%, almost three times higher than the south.
It is known as the “ gastronomic valley” and boasts 19 museums dedicated to the region’s cuisine and products, including Parmigano cheese, Parma ham, balsamic vinegar and other delicacies. Gastronomic tours attract millions of visitors to Emilia-Romagna each year. In other words, it is one of the most desirable places to live in Italy.
When the devastating earthquake struck in 2012, the economic damage to Emilia-Romagna was estimated at more than 13 billion euros. But according to Coldiretti, the damage from these two historic floods could be three times higher.
According to VNA
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