Rainfall destroys the homes of more than 36,000 people
in unprecedented event: ‘They have never seen anything
of [this] kind’
The Italian region of Emilia-Romagna has become an
unfortunate showcase of the increasing threat of
extreme weather events worldwide.
In May, six months’ worth of rain saturated the
country’s agricultural center in 36 hours, according to
the Guardian. The result is a horror story, including
flooding and landslides that have killed at least 14
people and left 36,000 without a home.
What caused the disaster?
Hot weather is the culprit, as the massive amounts of
rain followed a drought in the region.
“Rising temperatures intensify drought episodes, drying
up the soil and changing its permeability in different
ways,” Mauro Rossi, a researcher affiliated with the
Italian National Research Council, said in a CNN
report.
As a result, more than 20 rivers broke through their
banks, flooding more than 5,000 farms, according to
CNN. There were more than 300 landslides, according to
the Guardian. A photograph of a former road, provided
by the Guardian, shows a deep trench with people
standing in it. It’s as if a giant plow had been pulled
through the area — the result of a landslide.
Why is this a concern?
While scientists can’t link specific extreme weather
disasters directly to the world’s overheating, CNN
interviewed experts who said rising temperatures will
increase the likelihood of more tragedies like this in
the future.
Related video: Updated rainfall totals (KETV Omaha)
Earlier in the show and the viewers have responded with
KETV Omaha
Updated rainfall totals
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The Earth’s temperature is up about 2 degrees
Fahrenheit since 1880, according to data provided by
Climate.gov. The warming per decade has picked up since
1981, and last year was the sixth warmest on record,
according to climate data provided by the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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