EU pledges billions in aid for flood-stricken areas as northern Italy hit

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has pledged billions of euros in aid for Central European countries that suffered enormous damage to infrastructure and housing during the massive flooding that has so far claimed 24 lives in the region.
Von der Leyen paid a quick visit to a flood-damaged area in southeastern Poland on Thursday and met with heads of the governments of Poland, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
She said funds for repairs will be quickly available from the European Union’s solidarity fund – as well as 10 billion euros ($11bn) from what is called the cohesion fund, for the most urgent repairs. No contribution from individual bloc countries would be required for the money to be released, von der Leyen said, stressing that in this crisis, swift action is required.
Storm Boris caused the worst flooding in more than 20 years from Romania to Poland over the past week, before moving west.
A massive flood wave threatened new areas and heavy rains also caused flooding and evacuation of some 1,000 people in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna.
In Italy, schools were closed and rail services were suspended in several provinces on Thursday.
In the town of Lugo, near Ravenna, authorities ordered the evacuation of all ground-floor residences, after the local Senio River broke its banks.
“We are in a full emergency,” the mayor of Ravenna, Michele De Pascale, told the Radio 24 broadcaster.
Irene Priolo, the acting president of Emilia-Romagna, told RAI public radio that 250mm (9.8 inches) of water had fallen in some areas and that three rivers had overflowed.
The national fire department said it carried out more than 500 rescue operations in Emilia-Romagna, including with helicopters.
Floods and mudslides were also affecting the neighbouring regions of Tuscany and Marche.
In Central Europe, the receding waters revealed the scale of the destruction caused by exceptionally heavy rains.
Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said one more person was reported killed on Thursday in the country’s hard-hit northeast, bringing the death toll there to five. There were also seven deaths each in Poland and Romania, and five in Austria.
In the northeastern Czech Republic, soldiers joined firefighters and other emergency crews to help with the recovery efforts. Army helicopters distributed humanitarian aid while soldiers were building temporary bridges in place of those that were swept away.
Some 400 people remained evacuated from homes in the regional capital of Ostrava. In the southwest, the water level of the Luznice River reached an extreme level, but the evacuation of 1,000 people in the town of Veseli nad Luznici was not necessary for the moment, officials said.
Clean-up efforts were under way in Austria, where flooding washed away roads and led to landslides and bridge damage. Firefighters and soldiers pumped water and mud out of houses and disposed of damaged furniture, broadcaster ORF quoted fire department spokesperson Klaus Stebal as saying.
The governor of Lower Austria province, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, said reconstruction was expected to take years, according to the Austria Press Agency.
Austria has said its disaster relief fund will be increased to one billion euros ($1.1bn) to help flood victims.
In Hungary, floodwaters continued to rise as authorities closed roads and rail stations. Ferries along the Danube River halted. In the capital, Budapest, water spilled over the city’s lower quays and threatened to reach tram and metro lines. Some transport services were suspended.
Further upriver, in a region known as the Danube Bend, homes and restaurants near the riverbanks were inundated.
In Poland, several towns and villages have been devastated by the floodwaters, which have demolished houses, brought down bridges and heavily damaged road and rail infrastructure. In some areas, residents still lack drinking water and electricity.
In the southwest of the country, the high waters reached the city of Wroclaw and a stretched-out wave was expected to take many hours or even days to pass, exerting pressure on the embankments.
The Polish government says it has unlocked two billion zloty (470 million euros or $523m) of direct aid to people and localities affected by the floods.
Experts say human-induced climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as torrential rains and floods.