Three people have died in floods in Italy after a weekend of torrential rain and storms had caused flooding across much of the country. Further severe weather is expected over the next 2 days.
Sicily
Around 75mm of rain fell in a 24 hour period in central Sicily between 1 February and 2 February.
Three people died after flood water from an overflowing river engulfed their car in Noto, province of Siracusa, Sicily. Four occupants of the car were able to escape. Three others, including a seven year old girl, were unable to get out and drowned. The tragedy happened on Sunday 2 February 2014. In a separate incident, two occupants of a vehicle needed to be rescued by helicopter in Sicily after their car was swept away by flood waters.
Rome
Rome saw around 63mm of rain fall in a 24 hour period between 2 February and 3 February. The levels of the River Tiber are causing concern for the emergency services, particularly north of the city at Prima Porta, Castelnuovo and Capena, as well to the south in Acilia, Casalpalocco and Fiumicino.
Several roads and metro stations were closed and debris from a landslide and flood caused a train to derail between Rome and Viterbo. There was also a landslide in the town of Capena near Rome.
The emergency services say that around 80 families have been evacuated and as many as 200 interventions were carried out by the emergency services overnight between 1 and 2 February. Some of the worst affected areas include Piana del Sole, Ostia Antica, and parts of the north of the city. Some people also had to be rescued from rooftops of buildings after they became stranded.
Calabria
A landslide caused by heavy rain and floods in Cerenzia, province of Crotone, Calabria, has left 21 families homeless.
Tuscany
The city of Pisa has been partly flooded and according to officials the Arno River has reached levels unseen over the last 20 years. Emergency workers are erecting flood defences and reinforcing banks in the hope they can avoid further flooding in the city.
In Florence, levels of the river Arno were also reported to be at a 20-year high, although there has been no flooding in the city as yet. However, some small towns outside Florence have been inundated, causing the local authorities to close schools in the area. Also in Tuscany, flood waters destroyed a section of a medieval wall in the town of Volterra.
Italy has suffered from flooding throughout much of November and December last year. Parts of northern Italy were hit by flooding on 20 January 2014.
BIVIO DI #Capena #Roma #CapenaInGinocchio #aiuto #Alluvione pic.twitter.com/oKtBc0bdbU
— ~Miss K la cacca† (@KissNfotte) February 2, 2014
Sources: Protezione Civile
