In the Emilia-Romagna region, a Thursday storm turned deadly and disruptive as floodwaters chased through towns. Close to a dozen lives were lost, and new disaster tallies continued to rise as authorities assessed the damage and the reach of the weather system.
1. What is the current situation in Emilia-Romagna?
Latest official updates show tens of thousands evacuated and a continually shifting number of missing persons. Roughly 40 municipalities have felt the impact of the extreme weather, with river overflows, dozens of landslides, and widespread road closures. Across the region, more than 27,000 people are without power, and some smaller communities have become isolated as rescue and recovery efforts press on.
2. Why was the storm so fierce?
The disaster stemmed from an intense downpour that dumped what would normally take months to fall in only a few hours. Meteorologists point to a lasting weather pattern where a warm air mass clashes with a cooler barrier and rises rapidly, cooling and releasing moisture in heavy bursts. The system known as Cyclone Minerva dumped vast amounts of water on territories already fed by tropical air currents. Temperature contrasts in the Mediterranean region and climate-related shifts likely intensified the event. Experts also highlight that long droughts this past year left soils less able to absorb water, suggesting similar events could recur if conditions persist.
3. How did Italy react to the disaster?
Emergency response teams mobilized quickly. About 900 firefighters joined the effort, supported by thousands of Coast Guard personnel, Carabinieri, and Civil Protection responders. Rescue operations were underway in the earliest hours across Emilia-Romagna and the Marches. Fire crews logged around 2,000 calls for assistance and deployed more than 250 vehicles, including five helicopters, ten drones, ten pumping units, and twenty-five small boats, concentrated in the hardest-hit zones.
4 Which settlements are most affected?
Among the municipalities hardest hit are those in the provinces of Bologna, Forlì-Cesena, Ravenna, and Rimini. Given the threat of renewed rainfall, authorities kept a heightened red alert into Friday as conditions remained unsettled. Morning evacuation orders targeted residents in Villanova di Ravenna, Filetto, and Roncalceci, due to the risk of a renewed flood along the Lamone river. The Lamone, along with the Savio, Montone, and Roero rivers, remains a focal point for concerns about further overflow.
5. How much damage does the storm cause?
Officials have paused on exact figures while the government assesses the full scope of the disaster. The Coldiretti farmers’ association puts initial losses at about 300 million euros, driven by infrastructure failures, agricultural disruption, crop damage, and machinery losses. Thousands of agricultural enterprises faced inundation, threatening crops such as kiwis, plums, pears, apples, and a variety of vegetables, as well as vineyards. Beyond farming, homes and businesses endured substantial harm. Regional president Stefano Bonaccini described the damage as equivalent to a powerful earthquake, with total losses reaching into the billions of euros as the long-term recovery begins.