Several billion euros needed for Emilia Romagna - Bonaccini

(see related) (ANSA) - ROME, MAY 18 - Emilia Romagna Governor Stefano Bonaccini said on Thursday several billion euros would be needed to address the damage caused by the torrential rainfall and flooding in the northern region. "The extent of the devastation caused by the bad weather is comparable to another earthquake: the damage will be quantitatively smaller, but it will be a few billion euros," Bonnaccini of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) told Rai 3.
    "We will rebuild everything as for the earthquake," continued Bonaccini, referring to the 2012 earthquakes that claimed 27 lives and caused massive devastation in the region.
    "We have told the government that we need a lot of resources, but also expeditious regulations," said the governor.
    "There is a need for a special commissioner, provisions for workers, to extend deadlines, mortgage installments, a lot of investment. Unfortunately, we have a lot of experience in this area," he continued, adding that the institutions need to be "obsessed" with supporting people.
    Meanwhile farmers' association Coldiretti said Thursday over 5,000 farms with greenhouses, nurseries and stables and tens of thousands of hectares of vineyards, fruit orchards and arable land as well as agricultural product processing facilities were under water. (ANSA).