ROME – Several hours of extraordinary rainfall caused flooding in a stretch of central Italy early Friday, leaving at least 10 dead, with several others missing, according to authorities.
When the rain stopped, rescue teams scrambled through the mud and around fallen trees to search for survivors. Some people had taken refuge on rooftops or held on to branches amid the flood. Italian media reported several horrifying accounts, including a mother and daughter who were believed to have been swept away as they got out of their car.
“All citizens are ordered to stay at home and go to the highest floors,” one hard-hit city wrote in an all-caps Facebook bulletin as the water rose.
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Although Italy has seen more deadly floods over the decades, the event marked another example of extreme weather, following a record drought that had undermined lakes and rivers and devastated crops. Fabrizio Curcio, head of Italy’s civil protection department, said the flooded area within hours saw “about a third of the rain they would normally receive in a year”.
“There were moments of terror with really extraordinary water levels,” Curcio said.
A spokesman for the civil protection department said the area had been hit by 400 millimeters, or about 15.75 inches, of rain.
While it is difficult to connect any single event to climate change, experts say moments of extreme weather are becoming more common, including in Italy, which has seen melting Alpine glaciers, summer forest fires and rising seas that spread to coastal cities.
On a visit to the flooded region, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said flood risks had become an “emergency with climate change” and would require prevention measures, including investment in infrastructure.
“It also means tackling climate change,” Draghi said.
Friday’s flooding spread across the Marche region, from the inland hills to the Adriatic coast. Some mayors of the most affected cities pointed out that there were no signs that such an extreme event could come.
“[There was] just a yellow civil protection alert for wind and rain,” Maurizio Greci, mayor of Sassoferrato, told Italian radio. “Nothing could predict such a disaster.”
Italy’s Marche region suffered deadly floods on September 16. The rescuers searched for the missing people. (Video: Reuters)
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Photos from Friday showed people starting cleanup efforts, walking through mud, holding shovels and drying belongings.
The head of the Marches region, Francesco Acquaroli, wrote on his verified Facebook page that he had spoken with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and with Draghi, who offered support for “all the necessary needs”.
“The pain of what happened is deep,” Acquaroli wrote.