Vergasmexicanas

Rain still falling on stricken Genoa
Efforts to clear up after flash floods killed six people in Genoa are being hampered by continuing rain. The Italian port city saw the equivalent of a third of its annual rain fall in just six hours on Friday, causing rivers to break their banks. Emergency services are checking mud-filled ground floors and basements, while some locals say deaths could have been avoided had schools been closed. “It’s absurd,” said one woman. “There is a flood warning and what do you do? You open schools and kindergartens. Why did those mothers die? Because they went to pick up their children. Had the kids been home, we wouldn’t have had all these deaths.” While Genoa is still under threat, the danger is now spreading to nearby La Spezia. Already two villages near the town have been evacuated and dozens of small mudslides have blocked roads. The whole area is being kept on a level two alert, described as “very high”, until Sunday evening. And still the rain keeps coming. One emergency worker explained he and his team were doing their best to check drains, etc. so the land could absorb as much water as possible. Meanwhile, questions are being raised over recent changes in planning laws, allowing building to take place much closer to rivers than before.