Tuscany Governor Eugenio Giani announced search operations are ongoing for a woman and her five-month-old grandson in the region between Livorno and Pisa following floods.
“Up to 226 millimetres of rain fell in six hours,” Giani said, far surpassing the area’s typical monthly rainfall.
“Two people remain missing, and rescue efforts, coordinated by Tuscany’s civil protection team, continued overnight. We are grateful to everyone involved in the operation,” Giani stated.
The search, which began on Monday night, is concentrated in the areas of Castagneto Carducci, San Vincenzo, Monteverdi Marittimo, and Montecatini Val di Cecina, between the provinces of Livorno and Pisa. Giani added that “such intense weather has not been seen in the region since weather reports began.”
The missing woman and her grandson were last seen in Montecatini Val di Cecina near Pisa after the Sferza stream burst its banks on Monday due to torrential rain. The child’s parents and grandfather, German tourists, were rescued from the roof of their holiday home, where they had sought refuge from the rising waters. Firefighters leading the rescue efforts are using divers, search-and-rescue dogs, and drones.
State of emergency in Veneto
Meanwhile, in Veneto, Governor Luca Zaia declared a regional state of emergency on Tuesday due to the severe weather that has affected the provinces of Treviso, Padua, Vicenza, Verona, and Venice over the past 48 hours.
Teams of volunteers, coordinated by the civil protection unit in Marghera, worked through the night in the most impacted areas. Firefighters were involved in 450 operations, mainly in response to flooding on streets and in the ground floors of buildings.
The government declared a state of emergency in Marche and parts of Emilia-Romagna last week.
EU supports regions hit by floods in 2023
In response to previous weather events, the European Council approved €446 million in aid from the European Solidarity Fund to support regions hit by the May 2023 floods in Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany, which caused the deaths of 17 people and billions of euros in damage. Emilia-Romagna will receive €378.83 million, while Tuscany is set to get €67.81 million.
This aid is part of a wider package, with funds also allocated to Slovenia, Austria, Greece, and France for extreme weather events last year. At the weekend, the Italian government declared a new state of emergency in Emilia-Romagna and the neighbouring Marche region following further flooding.
Additionally, the European Commission has proposed €119.7 million from the CAP agricultural reserve to support farmers in Italy, Bulgaria, Germany, Estonia, and Romania, all of whom were impacted by adverse weather conditions earlier this year. If approved, Italian farmers will receive €37.4 million to compensate for lost production and income.
