On Saturday (September 21), Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office declared a state of emergency in Emilia-Romagna and Marche after devastating floods in the regions this week and approved an initial aid of 20 million euros, reports ANSA , quoted by FOCUS.
"The measure applies to the provinces of Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, Ferrara, Ravenna, Forli-Cesena and Rimini (in Emilia-Romagna), as well as to the Marche region,", reports Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci.
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"Along with the state of emergency, which will last for 12 months, the cabinet has allocated €20 million to deal with the initial emergency interventions, rescue operations and assistance to the population and to restore the functionality of services and infrastructure”.
Many of the affected areas are the same that in May 2023 were hit by floods and landslides linked to unprecedented rainfall, which killed 17 people and caused billions of euros in damage.
Scientists say the climate crisis caused by human emissions of greenhouse gases is making extreme weather events such as heat, droughts, strong storms and floods more frequent and more intense.
Although there are many sources of greenhouse gases that cause global warming, the main driver is the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal, the sale of which brings huge profits to the world's energy giants.