No new deaths were reported on Saturday, but local authorities have issued new landslide warnings in connection with the heavy rains.
As larger areas are affected, more people are forced to temporarily leave their homes, mainly around the city of Ravenna. The number of evacuees had almost doubled from Friday morning to Saturday evening, when 36,000 fled.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attended the G7 meeting in Hiroshima on Saturday, but returned home early.
– Honestly, I can’t be this far from home during times like this, she said and thanked the more than 5,000 rescue workers and volunteers who are helping those in need. Meloni is expected to visit the affected areas on Sunday.
Very heavy rains
Thursday and Friday saw as much rain as is normal for six months, and the floods have been described as the worst in over a century.
In the region, over 500 roads have been closed and many of them are destroyed. Matteo Lepore, mayor of Bologna, says it will take time to fix the road network.
– We are talking about months, in some places years, he tells AFP.
According to the governor Stefano Bonaccini, the price tag will end up at over half a billion euros, corresponding to roughly five billion kroner.
Fourteen fatalities have so far been reported in the flood disaster.