Historic floods ravage Italy's Prime Minister hastily leaves G7 Summit to return home

All four people on board the helicopter were taken to hospital, with only one person injured, according to firefighters. Ravenna is one of nine provinces in the northeastern Emilia-Romagna region that is continuing to be hit by storms. The situation is worse in the capital, Ravenna, where dozens of rivers in Emilia-Romagna have overflowed.

AFP quoted authorities as saying that more than 36,000 people in Emilia-Romagna had been evacuated as rapidly rising floodwaters submerged many houses. New flash floods also cut off small alleys in the area. Rain continued to pour, turning roads in cities and towns in Emilia-Romagna into rivers. With more rain forecast for several more days, regional authorities yesterday decided to extend the red alert.

Helicopter crashes while inspecting damaged power lines near Lugo

Faced with the urgent situation in Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni decided to leave the G7 Summit in Japan earlier than scheduled to return home to direct flood prevention work. Ms. Meloni visited some of the areas most severely affected by this flood. About 5,000 people, from rescue workers to volunteers, were mobilized to help victims in the affected area.

According to official figures from Italy, the amount of rain that would normally fall in six months has hit the Emilia-Romagna region in 36 hours, causing the worst flooding in 100 years. As of yesterday, at least 14 people have died due to the floods. The floods have also caused more than 305 landslides, leaving more than 500 roads damaged or blocked. AFP quoted Mayor Matteo Lepore of Bologna, the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, as estimating that it will take months, and even years in some areas, to repair roads and infrastructure damaged by the historic floods.

The floods also came after years of severe drought in the region, which reduced the land's ability to absorb rainwater. Researchers told CNN that the once-in-a-century flooding event in Italy was linked to the climate crisis.

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