YoAt two in the morning, the parish priest Giovanni Samori, awakened by a phone call from the mayor of Traversara, began to ring the church bells. The traditional call is now part of the civil defense procedure used by many Italian cities. Purpose: Warn residents of an impending disaster.
When heavy rains hit the village, Samori sprang into action, a task he likens to “ringing the death knell.” It worked: the evacuation of the 480 inhabitants of Traversara was quick and, despite the priest's predictions, there were no deaths.
But in the weeks since the Sept. 19 floods, when the Emilia Romagna region of northern Italy was hit by its third devastating storm in 18 months, the devastation of Traversara is clear. The village on the banks of the Lamon River, about 40 minutes from the regional capital, Bologna, was practically destroyed.
In its place has emerged a tense but urgent debate over insurance coverage for losses from climate-related disasters, a concept that until now has been unfamiliar to most Italians. Scientists recognize Italy as one of Europe's climate risk zones and have begun to quantify the widespread impacts of extreme weather on livelihoods and the economy.
Currently only 6% of homes are insured against natural disasters and 5% of companies. They say the government should change it.
In Traversara, residents understand the harsh reality of their losses. All that remains of an area made up of clusters of houses that were directly in the path of the powerful waters that inundated the city after the river overflowed its banks is muddy, waterlogged terrain. Other houses are full of garbage.
Cristina Baccarini is waiting to find out if her parents' house, which was also damaged by floods in May 2023, must now be demolished due to the fragile foundation. A bed and a radiator protrude from the broken exterior wall of the bedroom where the elderly couple slept.
They climbed to the balcony of the first floor of the building and were rescued by helicopter. Baccarini's father, 91, is recovering in the hospital from dementia and a broken bone. His mother stays with a relative.
“My parents were effectively homeless,” Baccarini said, trying not to cry. “The house is insured, but not against flooding; we tried, but we couldn't get insurance because we were flooded last year.”
The government has proposed making it mandatory for businesses to be insured against natural disasters from January, which has proven particularly unpopular in high-risk areas. Advice for houses was also expanded.
Among the highest risk areas is Emilia Romagna, one of Italy's richest regions, where some of its best-known foods are produced and where companies are located. Severe flooding pays a high price.
In May 2023, two rounds of flooding killed 17 people, overflowed the banks of 20 rivers, submerged dozens of towns and cities, and caused more than 300 landslides. More than 20,000 people were displaced and the cost of the damage was estimated at €8.5 billion.
The damage caused by the recent floods, which severely affected several cities, especially in the province of Ravenna, has not yet been calculated.
But according to the estimates of the inhabitants of Traversara, the consequences are very bad.
Piera Alboni and her husband Daniel lived next door to Baccarini's parents. The pensioners, now staying with a relative, paid from their savings to repair damage caused by last year's floods when the storm hit in September.
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Alboni was born in the same house and said he was “unsure” whether he would return. “It has completely taken away our roots and our security; we cannot live in peace,” he said. The couple's home is covered against fire explosions, but not against flooding. “But what happened here was basically an explosion,” he said.
Anger boils over when people feel they are left alone to deal with the consequences. Owners of homes and businesses damaged by last year's floods each received €5,000 to cover the costs. An online platform called Sfinge was later created to allow people to claim more refunds, but many users gave up, saying the system was difficult to navigate and that they had to jump through hoops to claim even small amounts.
Their plight is overshadowed by a blame game between left-wing regional authorities and the far-right government of Giorgia Meloni, which said in September that the former had spent 49 million euros on flood defenses out of the 130 million allocated the last year. After the recent floods, another 20 million euros were allocated.
The European Parliament has approved more than one billion euros in aid to countries affected by natural disasters in 2023: Emilia Romagna will receive 378.8 million euros and Tuscany 67.8 million.
But residents don't have much faith in their businesses getting their money where it's supposed to go.
Regarding the mandatory insurance measure, there are fears that companies could flee, which would deter future investments.
“The situation in Emilia-Romagna is very serious and we must pay attention, because it is clear that floods are going to be more frequent,” said Roberto Bossi, president of the Confindustria trade association for the Romagna region. “At this point, it is obvious that we need to invest in risk mitigation work. We need a long-term vision, not just quick fixes.
In Lugo, an industrial city near Traversara, Bozzi employs about 500 people at Vulcaflex, a company that makes products for the automotive industry. Extreme weather events also put populations at risk, he said. “I was crying with the workers because they repaired their houses after last year's flood and now they have to do it all over again,” he said. “It is also increasingly difficult to find workers willing to come live in the area, who want to have their houses underwater?”
In nearby Fenza, which suffered severe damage from last year's floods, many businesses closed. David, who owns a paint and hardware store, said he would do the same if there was another major flood. “The entire store was submerged.” [in the May 2023 flooding]. I paid to fix the damage myself and now they're telling me I have to get insurance, haven't they made the region safer? It's a shame, I won't pay for it.
