The Arno flood: fear in Florence and Pisa

Friday 14 March was a day of great concern for Tuscany, with Florence and Pisa on red alert due to the torrential rains that have swollen the Arno riverThe flood crossed both cities with worrying levels, but fortunately without serious flooding. Pisa, the flood peak reached 5 meters during the night, while in Florence preventive measures avoided significant damage.

According to Bernardo Gozzini of the Lamma Consortium, theThe city of Florence saw the amount of rain that normally occurs in a month fall in just six hours. Weather data confirms this exceptionality: 70 mm of precipitation in Florence, 100 mm in Mugello and a record peak of 178 mm in VagliaTwo overlapping disturbances have concentrated rainfall on the region, exacerbating the hydrogeological risk.

Floods and damages in Florence: Campi Bisenzio and Vicchio among the most affected areas

Campi Bisenzio and the Prato area, already devastated by the flood of November 2023, experienced an entire day of tension, with watercourses on the verge of overflowing and flooding that threatened the homes closest to the drainage ditches. Mayor Andrea Tagliaferri signed an ordinance inviting residents to take refuge on the upper floors or, if that was impossible, to evacuate. About ten people found shelter in the Matteucci school.

Vicchio also suffered severe criticalities, with evacuations carried out by firefighters. A man stranded on the roof of his car near the Sieve River was rescued by an air rescue. In Gattaia di Vicchio, a landslide forced the evacuation of two people and a dog, again thanks to the use of a helicopter. There were also numerous rescue operations in Rufina, where divers and amphibious vehicles operated non-stop.

Florence and security measures: stop to public activities

To deal with the emergency, the city of Florence has adopted drastic measures. They have been shows, sports activities, medical and school visits suspended. Over 60 municipalities along the Arno valley have closed schools and universitiesHospitals have postponed scheduled visits and tests, ensuring that services will be resumed later.

The city has also stopped public transport in some areas, such as the Cascine stop on the T1 tram, and has canceled cultural and sporting events. The red alert has forced authorities to keep markets, parks and cemeteries closed.

Emilia-Romagna: red alert and widespread critical issues

Not only Tuscany: also Emilia-Romagna has suffered severe consequences from the bad weather. The region has seen rainfall accumulations exceeding 150 mm, with the Reno basin particularly affected. The Lamone has exceeded critical levels, reaching 3,03 metres in Marradi, never recorded before.

In Brisighella, several homes were submerged by water, while in Bagnacavallo, buildings within 300 meters of the river were evacuated. In Faenza, a city already a symbol of previous floods, the two waves of flooding were overcome without serious damage. However, Ravenna experienced moments of great tension, with preventive evacuations in the hamlets of Santerno and Ammonite.

the president of the Region, Michael de Pascale, has followed and continues to follow the evolution of the situation since Regional Operations Center of Bologna. Yesterday evening he first attended the meeting with the National Department of Civil Protection and subsequently to the meeting of the Ccs (Rescue Coordination Center) of the Metropolitan City of Bologna, to also check the flow conditions in the watercourses of the Bologna plain. “The most worrying situation remains that of the Lamone- explains of Pascale-: in the city of Faenza it seems the peak of the flood has been reached, but in the rest of the territory the levels are continuing to rise and our attention is maximum. For this reason– adds the president of the Region- vI would like to thank all the women and men working in these hours: the volunteers who are working or are ready to do so in case of emergency, the companies active in all strategic points, since this morning, ready to remove wood or carry out urgent maintenance work, the Civil Protection teams, many of which came from outside the Region, the police and military forces“. De Pascale also expressed on behalf of the Region the solidarity towards communities affected by bad weather in Toscana.

Falling River Levels: Signs of Improvement

After hours of fear, the situation improved this morning, 15 March. All the rivers of Emilia-Romagna have returned below the red threshold, even if the Senio and the Lamone are still very high. In the Bolognese area it was rthe evacuation order for the lower floors was invoked, and activities in parks and sports centers have resumed.

Weather forecast: more showers on the way

According to the Lamma Consortium, the bad weather is not over yet. For today I am new showers and thunderstorms expected on the Arno basin, with accumulations between 50 and 70 mm. Emilia-Romagna will also continue to receive precipitation, especially in the western sector.

La Civil Protection has activated mobile emergency columns from other regions to help with the rescue efforts. In the province of Pistoia, Dozens of Enel users are still without electricity, while landslides and mudslides have interrupted traffic in several places.