Italians evacuate as floods hit Emilia-Romagna

Storm Boris is hitting the northeastern and central regions of Italy, days after causing flooding in central Europe.

More than 1,000 residents in the northeastern region of Emilia Romagna have been evacuated, while towns in central Italy’s Marche region have reported flooding and widespread disruption. Two people were reported missing.

On Thursday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced €10bn (£8.4bn) in EU funding for the affected countries.

Von der Leyen made the announcement after meeting with the leaders of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria to discuss aid for the flood-hit region.

The meeting was held in the Polish city of Wroclaw, in the south-west of Poland, which has been threatened by the high level of the river for days.

Speaking at a press conference afterwards, Von der Leyen said: “Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures”.

His comments came as Italy became the latest country to suffer from Storm Boris – a low pressure system invaded Poland, Czech Republic, Romania and Austriaat least 23 people died.

Schools across Emilia Romagna are closed. Some roads have been affected by landslides and train services have been severely disrupted.

Authorities have warned residents to stay away from basements and move to the upper floors of their homes.

Schools, libraries and parks were closed in Ravenna, and the University of Bologna canceled exams and courses.

The city of Faenza was the worst affected, with the levels of the two rivers that flow into it rising rapidly overnight.

Residents quoted by local media said they had to leave their homes in the boats at midnight. High river levels have also caused flooding.

But authorities in nearby Bologna said on Thursday morning that river levels in the city were under control, although a weather warning was expected to last until Friday in many parts of the region. Red warnings for floods and landslides have been issued in eastern Emilia Romagna.

Falconara on the Adriatic coast has seen 204mm (8 inches) of rain since Wednesday, above the September average of about 67mm. More than 300mm of rain was recorded in the Apennine mountain region.

The rain will ease until Friday, and the weekend looks very dry but as seen in other parts of central Europe, the risk of flooding may continue.

For residents of Emilia-Romagna, Storm Boris is echoing severe – and deadly – floods the region has experienced in the past year.

In May 2023, 13 people died after it rained for six and a half days, causing more than 20 rivers to burst their banks.

Tens of thousands of people had to flee their homes and the floods caused billions of euros in damage.

Although the worst of Storm Boris appears to be over most of the region, the Danube River levels are still rising in Hungary. Prime Minister Victor Orban said on Wednesday that the water level in Budapest was expected to rise significantly on Saturday afternoon or evening, but it would be below the levels recorded in 2013.

Recent events in central Europe are consistent with expectations of heavy rainfall in a hotter world, although it is not yet possible to quantify exactly how much of a role climate change has played.

However, climate scientists have been warning for years of extreme rainfall events like this occurring as the planet warms.