Italy declares state of emergency for two flood regions
Italy declared a state of emergency on Saturday for two flood regions in the north of the country after days of heavy rain.
The right-wing government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also provided the regions - Emilia-Romagna and the Marche - with €20 million (about $22 million) in emergency aid.
Heavy rainfall has resulted in many roads being flooded in the two regions. In total, more than 2,500 people had to be evacuated from their homes. Several cities, including Bologna, Modena and Ravenna are affected, as is the seaside resort of Rimini on the Adriatic coast.
Meanwhile, there has been an angry exchange of words between Rome and the regional governments of the flooded areas. Nello Musumeci, the right-wing minister for Civil Protection, accused the social-democrat administration of Emilia-Romagna of not having used money already provided properly.
"Something is not right. Catastrophic flooding like this cannot keep happening in Emilia-Romagna," the minister said. Severe weather last year killed 17 people and the material damage there ran into billions of euros.
For their part, the Social Democrats dismissed the minister's accusations as an election ploy ahead of a vote scheduled for November in Emilia-Romagna, one of the richest and traditionally most left-leaning regions of Italy.
