Ciarán Storm: Tuscany underwater – several people killed

At least five people have died in severe storms accompanied by heavy rain in the Tuscany region of central Italy. On Friday evening, the region witnessed some severe floods, which are popular with vacationers, after very large amounts of rain fell. “We have never recorded so much rain in such a few minutes,” Tuscan President Eugenio Gianni wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). A number of people were injured and there are reports of people missing.

The municipalities of Campi Bisenzio, Prato and Carrata in the province of Prato were particularly affected. «155 mm of rain fell within a few hours. “It is an event that, as far as we know, has not happened for at least two centuries,” Prato Mayor Matteo Pivone said. The storm turned the streets of several villages into torrents of water and mud. The area near Florence, when viewed from the air, looks like a lake landscape. Entire streets and fields were flooded.

200 millimeters of rain in three hours

Gianni declared a state of emergency in the area early Friday morning. The fire department responded to more than 1,000 missions in the area. In addition, there are more than 40,000 families in the area not far from Florence without electricity. The Bisenzio River burst its banks and flooded many communities. Video clips spread on social media showed the number of cars swept away by water on a street in the town of Campi Bisenzio.

Parts of Interstate 11 had to be closed. There were major problems with rail traffic. In some areas, the floods were so strong that hospitals were also flooded. Civil Defense was on duty at night. On Thursday evening, he called on people not to leave the house.

A statement issued by her official residence said that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni “is following the developments of the catastrophic events with great concern.” She expressed her deep sympathy for the victims. Meanwhile, Tuscan President Gianni discussed additional measures with Meloni. According to Gianni, the government in Rome is considering declaring a national emergency due to the situation in Tuscany so that it can take faster measures for aid and compensation.

Kiran has already claimed many lives

The Veneto region in the northeastern Mediterranean country was also affected by severe storms. One person is missing in Belluno province, north of Venice. He’s a firefighter who wasn’t on duty but piled sandbags next to the river as he prepared for the storm.

In addition to Italy, France, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany were also affected by severe storms with heavy rain and storms. Storm Ciarán caused some serious damage there. Several people died.