Exceptionally heavy rainfall in northern Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region last week led to a series of floods and landslides that have killed at least 15 people and forced more than 40,000 from their homes. Rescue work continued over the weekend, but cleanup efforts have just begun as residents, government workers, and volunteers clear out mud and recover what can be salvaged.
Extreme Weather Brings Deadly Flooding to Northern Italy
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![Several rescue workers paddle an inflatable boat, carrying civilians through a flooded street.]()
Read moreRescuers evacuate residents on a flooded street in the town of Lugo, Italy, after heavy rains caused flooding across Italy's northern Emilia-Romagna region, on May 18, 2023. #
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![A view of a flooded street leading into an open area that is also flooded.]()
Read moreA flooded street in Conselice, near Ravenna, on May 21, 2023 #
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![Floodwater splashes as it flows down a street.]()
Read moreA man walks in a flooded street in the village of Castel Bolognese on May 17, 2023. #
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![An aerial view of a partially flooded farm area]()
Read moreAn aerial view shows a flooded pig farm and surrounding fields in the town of Lugo on May 18, 2023. #
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![About a dozen pigs swim past a building in thigh-deep floodwater.]()
Read moreAn aerial view of farmers gathering pigs to transport them away from their flooded enclosure at a pig farm in Lugo, on May 18, 2023 #
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![A person stands beside a heavily damaged railway bridge, following a flood.]()
Read moreA collapsed railway bridge on May 21, 2023, in Sant'Agata sul Santerno, near Ravenna, after floodwaters tore away the underlying structure #
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![Several cars are caught in floodwater flowing down a street.]()
Read moreVehicles are caught in a flood in Castel Bolognese on May 17, 2023. #
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![A person walks through waist-deep floodwater in a vineyard.]()
Read moreA fruit farmer assesses damages to his flooded property on May 20, 2023, in the village of Ghibullo. #
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![A person stands in waist-deep floodwater looking toward another person who is exiting a second-story window onto the roof of a porch.]()
Read moreA man stranded in his flooded property uses a rope and a ladder to get out as his cousin looks on, on May 20, 2023, in Ghibullo. #
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![An amphibious rescue vehicle drives down a flooded street.]()
Read moreA truck of the Vigili del Fuoco fire-and-rescue service patrols a flooded street on May 21, 2023, in Conselice, near Ravenna. #
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![The floor of a sports arena is filled with people and cots.]()
Read moreDisplaced people find shelter in the local PalaCattani sports facility in Faenza on May 18, 2023. #
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![A muddy street is partly filled with flood-damaged furniture and appliances.]()
Read moreResidents clean their homes, removing flood-damaged items, in Faenza on May 19, 2023. #
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![A person sits on a bucket at the doorstep of a bakery with flood water at their feet.]()
Read moreA resident sits on the doorstep of a bakery in a flooded street on May 21, 2023, in Conselice. #
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![The interior of a small café in disarray after floodwaters had receded]()
Read moreA view of a damaged coffee bar, after floodwaters had receded, on May 18, 2023, in Faenza #
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![A storefront with broken glass and flood damage inside]()
Read moreA flood-damaged storefront in Faenza on May 18, 2023 #
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![Flood water about two feet deep fills a room inside a house.]()
Read moreA flooded house on May 20, 2023, in the village of Ghibullo #
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![Two firefighters carry a dog out of a flooded house.]()
Read moreFirefighters evacuate a dog from a flooded house in Faenza on May 18, 2023. #
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![A person stands in a street, holding a child on their shoulders, with shallow floodwater flowing past their feet.]()
Read moreA resident carries a child in a flooded street in the town of Lugo on May 18, 2023. #
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![Two people sweep mud toward a drain as flood-damaged cars are perched nearby.]()
Read moreResidents remove mud and debris in Faenza on May 18, 2023. #
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![A very muddy car interior]()
Read moreThe interior of a previously flooded car on May 18, 2023, in Faenza #
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![A small excavator is used to remove sloppy mud.]()
Read moreFirefighters use an excavator to clear mud from the garden of a house in Forli, Emilia-Romagna, on May 20, 2023. #
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![A firefighter stands on a vehicle as it patrols a flooded street.]()
Read moreA firefighter stands on an amphibious vehicle as he inspects a flooded street in Conselice on May 21, 2023. #
Emanuele Cremaschi / Getty -
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![A couple walks side by side in a flooded road.]()
Read moreA couple walks in a flooded road in Lugo on May 18, 2023. #
Luca Bruno / AP
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