HISTORIC FLASH FLOODS IN TUSCANY REGION, ITALY November 13, 2012 Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, University of North Carolina, USA

TUESDAY, NOV. 13: FLASH FLOODS IN ITALY  Three days of heavy rains and winds left large parts of northern and central Italy under water Tuesday, turning streets into canals and causing the collapse of a bridge

Nine inches (23 cm) of rain fell in four hours in Tuscany, overflowing the Parmignola and Ricortola rivers.

The Tiber River, which runs through the center of Rome, overflowed bike and jogging paths along its banks in the capital, but did not cause any flooding in the city because of high seawalls.

Venice, a world Heritage site, reported its sixth- highest flood level since record-keeping began in 1872.

70 PERCENT OF VENICE FLOODED: NOV. 13, 2012

VENICE FLOODING DOESN’T BOTHER THESE TOURISTS

A TOURIST CROSSING ST MARK’S SQUARE

INITIAL IMPACTS

 Hundreds of people were forced to flee their homes as rivers burst their banks and streets were flooded.  Four dead.

INITIAL IMPACTS (Continued)  Orbetello, in western Tuscany, was inundated as city streets were transformed into canals.  800 people fled their homes in the nearby village of Albinia.  Thousands were left without electricity.

INITIAL IMPACTS (Continued)  Parts of the highway between Rome and Florence were closed for the first time since the 1980s because of flooding.  Rail lines between Orbetello and Grosetto were closed..

INITIAL IMPACTS (Continued)  Health became a local concern after the soil in a rural cemetery in coastal Tuscany was eroded, exposing several caskets.

INITIAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE

EUROPEAN UNION RESPONDS QUICKLY  The European Union earmarked $23 million in "solidarity funds" to help with repairs to roads, electrical systems, water and sewage systems, and building controls.