The key facts

  • In La Spezia, streets and the ground floors of buildings were flooded; rescuers and the Italian Navy were brought in to pump out the water
  • Due to a landslide in Valdellora, 25 people from nine families left their homes, and six roads were closed in the province
  • The flow of the Magra reached almost 2,000 cubic metres per second, exceeding the danger threshold; 226 mm of precipitation fell in Castelnuovo Magra in 24 hours

Floods and landslides in Liguria

In the Italian region of Liguria, heavy rains that began on November 11 and continued for two more days led to floods and landslides. La Spezia and the surrounding settlements were hit hardest — this was reported by the outlet Zamon.uz, citing the situation in the region. Streets and the ground floors of buildings in the city were flooded; rescuers pumped water out of basements, warehouses and shops, and the Italian Navy was also brought in for the cleanup.

Evacuations and closed roads

A landslide in the Valdellora area put two residential buildings at risk: 25 people from nine families left their homes as a safety precaution. Due to landslides and damage to the road surface, six roads in the province have been closed. Residents of the coastal areas of Arcola and other settlements were advised to take precautions, and in some places to leave their homes.

The Magra exceeded the danger threshold

The situation was worsened by a sharp rise in the water level of the Magra river: on November 13 its flow reached almost 2,000 cubic metres per second, exceeding the danger threshold. According to the Italian environmental protection and meteorological monitoring agency (Arpal), on November 12 in the Castelnuovo Magra area, 24-hour rainfall of 226 millimetres was recorded. By the morning of November 13, the intensity of the rain began to decrease, but the 'orange' level weather warning in the eastern part of Liguria remained in effect until 2:00 pm local time, and experts continued to monitor river levels and landslide-prone areas.