Torrential Rain Turns Roads Into Rivers in Forl¬

Forl¬: The northeastern city of Forl¬ was faced with widespread flooding on Wednesday after torrential rain turned its roads into white-water rivers overnight. The districts of Ca’ Ossi, Vecchiazzano, and Ronco were hit especially hard by the rain, which was far more extreme than had been forecast. Firefighters were at full stretch responding to calls for help with flooding in lower-floor apartments, basements, and garages. The extreme weather, with the city getting its average quantity of rain for a month in just over half an hour, also caused temporary power cuts in some areas. It is still too early to estimate the damage caused.

According to Ansa News Agency, Forl¬ was among the areas affected by flooding and landslides in Emilia Romagna in May 2023 linked to unprecedented rainfall that left 17 people dead and caused billions of euros of damage. Scientists say the climate crisis caused by human greenhouse gas emissions is making extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, supercharged storms, and flooding more frequent and more intense. Although there are many sources of the greenhouse gases that are causing global heating, the main driver is the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal, sales of which generate huge profits for the world’s energy giants.