Officials in Italy warned residents on Wednesday to get higher ground amid fears that heavy rains would again result in bursting of riverbanks after flooding killed three people and forced evacuation of around 5,000 people. The mayor of Cesena city, Enzo Lattuca, in a Facebook post earlier today warned that continued heavy rains in the Emilia-Romagna region could again flood the Savio river and smaller tributaries, as per a report by news agency Associated Press.
Lattuca urged residents to move to the upper floors of their homes and avoid riverbanks and also announced closure to traffic of some bridges and streets.
Videos posted on social media show muddy water gushing through the roads and streets.
“The situation could again become critical,” said the mayor. “We cannot in any way lower our guard.”
The three fatalities were confirmed by Civil Protection Minister Nello Musemeci who also said that some 5,000 people have been evacuated.
The floods have hampered rescue operations by the agencies as many roads and routes were swamped under mud sloshing waters.
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The deputy chief of the agency, Titti Postiglione, said the rescue operations for those needing emergency evacuations were particularly difficult given so many roads and routes were flooded.
The affected flood zone covered a broad swath of four provinces that, until the heavy rains, had been parched by a prolonged drought, she told a local news channel, as per the report, adding "the rainfall is not over, it will continue for several hours."
Premier Giorgia Meloni said the government was monitoring the situation and “is ready to intervene with necessary help.”
Fourteen rivers broke their banks in the region, forcing people in cities such as Cesena to climb onto the roof of their buildings, where firefighters rescued them with helicopters or rubber dinghies.