The death toll in Italy from the floods has risen to thirteen. The northern region of Emilia Romagna has been hit hard by storms in recent days. Thousands of people had to leave their homes and more than twenty rivers overflowed their banks. A concert by Bruce Springsteen took place in Ferrara, a city in the affected region, last night. The American superstar was criticized for not canceling the concert.
LOOK. Cars stuck in mudslides and children are evacuated: Italy is suffering badly from the floods
Another 18,500 people are without power. That writes the Italian newspaper ‘La Repubblica’. Landslides and mudslides disrupt traffic, especially in the Apennines. There have already been about 280 landslides in total.
The mayor of Ravenna, a city hit hard by the floods, told British broadcaster ‘BBC’ that this is the worst disaster in a century. Several people meanwhile are calling for an Italian national plan to be drawn up to tackle the consequences of climate change.
Political negligence
No regional dams have been built for 40 years, Italian Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci said. He also suggested a new approach to hydraulic engineering. “Soils that remain dry for long periods of time eventually become hardened, drastically limiting their ability to absorb water,” said Musumeci.
The Italian government has scheduled a crisis meeting on Tuesday. The leader of the Democratic Party, who belongs to the opposition, says the entire political system is to blame for the disaster. Politicians are not doing enough to tackle the challenges of climate change, he told the BBC.
Criticism of ‘The Boss’ Springsteen after concert
Yesterday evening a concert by the American superstar Bruce Springsteen took place in Ferrara, a city in the affected region. The fact that the singer did not cancel the concert caused a lot of criticism. Fans urged via social media not to allow the concert to go ahead out of respect for the dead and anyone who had to leave their homes. “Please consider rescheduling concert. You must move it because all emergency resources must be available in the affected area, we must avoid massive traffic and out of respect for the victims,” one of the fans said via Twitter.
“It is outrageous that they are allowing the Springsteen concert to take place in Ferrara tonight. He will sing without an audience as all the main streets are blocked in several places,” it said in another tweet.
Massimiliano Zampini
@massi_zampini
Ferrara was not directly affected by the floods. The mayor of the city Alan Fabbri also supported the decision to continue the concert. “I’m sorry if someone might have thought that Ferrara was insensitive to the tragedy in Romagna because it didn’t cancel The Boss concert,” the mayor posted on Facebook. Due to the “tremendous complexity” of a concert and after thousands of workers and tourists have flocked to the city, it “cannot be postponed or canceled in the short term,” he defended the decision.
Sunday’s Formula 1 Grand Prix in Imola was cancelled. The storm makes the organization of the sporting event impossible, according to the organizers.
Laura Casadei
@LauraCasadei
LOOK. Some Belgians made these images themselves in Italy, which was hit by heavy rain
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