The Old World all over from south to north was in the grip of bad weather. Torrential rains and floods rage in most European countries. In Italy, bad weather even led to human casualties. There is declared a state of emergency.
In France, the elements interfere with the matches of the prestigious Roland Garros tennis tournament, and in the German city of Cologne they felt the hot breath of the Sahara.
In Italian Piedmont, the unbridled elements led to human casualties. Powerful streams of water destroyed the dam on the Po River, and dirt poured into the surrounding villages.
A landslide destroyed a house in one of the local villages. Two people died under the wreckage, two more – a woman and her young child – are still reported missing. Firefighters and rescuers are looking for them, search dogs are working at the scene of the tragedy, but so far their efforts have not yielded results. The work is greatly complicated by the water pouring from the sky.
About a hundred people were hastily evacuated. Water continues to arrive, and several more rivers may overflow. Closed schools, banks do not work, boarded up doors and windows of shops. Today, troops are sent to help rescuers by order of the Ministry of Defense.
Heavy rains swept the other northern region of Italy – Valle d’Aosta. Locals recall the flood of 8 years ago, which claimed 19 lives and cost 500 million euros of damage. Hurricanes, showers and hail hit the coastal areas of the central Marche region. Judging by the forecasts, today the turn of the north-western Apennines and the environs of Venice will come.
A flurry of calls for help fell on the emergency services of the British county of Somerset. As soon as bad weather began, barricades from sandbags and other improvised materials began to be erected in settlements in order to protect their property. But the water pressure is too strong, and the weather, apparently, is not going to recede in the near future.
Winds brought dust clouds to the west of Germany. Like summits in the desert, darkness covered the city of Cologne. Particles of dark sand were brought not from somewhere, but from the Sahara. “It seems that the end of the world has come,” one of the local residents told reporters.
Meanwhile, in neighboring Belgium, as in Italy and the UK, streams of water gush down the city streets. In the city of Liège, many houses are washed out, car traffic is completely paralyzed.
A similar pattern was observed in Luxembourg. Rescuers had to work hard, trying to respond to hundreds of desperate calls for help.
This post is also available in:
English 
Русский (Russian)
