Six months worth of rainfall in just 36 hours has devastated Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, leaving nearly 36,000 people unhoused and at least 14 people dead . The disaster affected roughly 100 cities. One of Italy’s more wealthy regions, Emilia-Romagna is home to cities such as Parma, Bologna and Ravenna. Making matters worse, the flooding has caused landslides as the historic rainfall erodes mountains. Researchers have linked recent unprecedented floods in Italy to accelerating climate change.
A volunteer A volunteer, his face covered in mud, poses for a portrait on May 22, 2023 in Forlì, Italy. (Photo by Emanuele Cremaschi/Getty Images) A couple A couple walks in the flooded street on May 18, 2023 in Lugo, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images) A man cleans the street A man cleans the street on May 18, 2023 in Faenza, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images) A man rides a bicycle A man rides a bicycle on a flooded road on May 18, 2023 in Lugo, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images) Displaced people Displaced people at the Palacattani sports centre on May 18, 2023 in Faenza, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images) Flooded streets in Lugo Flooded streets on May 18, 2023 in Lugo, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images) Stranded cars Flooded streets on May 18, 2023 in Lugo, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images) More cars Flooded streets on May 18, 2023 in Lugo, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images) Flooded hallway A resident cleans the flooded road during heavy rains on May 18, 2023 in Lugo, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images) Outside a coffee bar A man sits outside a coffee bar on May 18, 2023 in Lugo, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images) Rescuers Flooded streets on May 19, 2023 in Lugo, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images) Flooded streets Flooded streets on May 19, 2023 in Lugo, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images) Rescuers evacuate residents Rescuers evacuate residents in a dinghy on May 19, 2023 in Lugo, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images) A landslide caused by flooding An aerial drone view a landslide in the mountainous and hilly area of the City of Bologna caused by the floods of recent days; 19 May 2023. (Photo by Cecilia Fasciani/NurPhoto via Getty Images) A woman and her dog A woman and her dog are rescued in a dinghy on May 19, 2023 in Lugo, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images) Displaced people receive meals Displaced people receive hot meals in a former nunnery run by volunteers on May 22, 2023. (Photo by Andrea Carrubba/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Delivering supplies Volunteers accompany two divers from the Italian Coast Guard and two volunteers from the Italian Red Cross to deliver cooked meals and drinking water to families isolated by flooding in Conselice, Emilia Romagna on May 23, 2023. (Photo by Andrea Carrubba/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) More deliveries Volunteers and the Italian Coast Guard deliver cooked meals and drinking water on May 23, 2023. (Photo by Andrea Carrubba/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Families isolated by flooding Volunteers and the Italian Coast Guard deliver cooked meals and drinking water on May 23, 2023. (Photo by Andrea Carrubba/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Dog A dog walks through water near where the Po’ River overflowed on May 21, 2023 in Cardè, Italy. (Photo by Stefano Guidi/Getty Images) The Po’ River General view of the Po’ River overflowing on May 21, 2023 in Cardè, Italy. (Photo by Stefano Guidi/Getty Images) Air Force evacuation The Air Force evacuates people during floods on May 16, 2023 in Cesena, Italy. (Photo by Gianmaria Zanotti/DeFodi Images via Getty Images) Flooded car A flooded car on May 21, 2023 in Conselice, near Ravenna, Italy. (Photo by Emanuele Cremaschi/Getty Images) Drowned pigs The carcasses of dozens of pigs, drowned during the recent flood, lay in the mud on May 22, 2023 in Albereto, Italy. (Photo by Emanuele Cremaschi/Getty Images) Rare but refreshing smiles Volunteers joke on May 22, 2023 in Forlì, Italy. (Photo by Emanuele Cremaschi/Getty Images)