Some 1.8 billion euros are needed
urgently before the autumn to fix landslides, rivers and roads
in the northeastern Emilia Romagna region after two separate
bouts of extreme weather and flooding in May, Governor Stefano
Bonaccini said on Friday.
"After the floods, the government asked us for an estimate of
the damage and, working round the clock, we delivered the first
estimate of 8.8 billion euros," said Bonaccini during the
programme Omnibus on La7.
"We do not need it all immediately, but we need 1.8 billion to
fix landslides, rivers and roads before the autumn, to prevent
new rains from causing further damage.
"We want to cooperate with the government, but we need answers,"
added the centre-left governor. .
In early May and again in mid-May floods and landslides
triggered by torrential rainfall in Emilia Romagna left 15
people dead and caused billions of euros of
damage to local agriculture and infrastructure.
Earlier this month Premier Giorgia Meloni told officials from
the flood-hit areas that a task force would decide how to move
forward with the reconstruction effort until an emergency
commissioner is appointed amid reports of disagreement within
the government over who it should be.
"This is a operative task force that serves to decide on the
interventions necessary to address the damage, and discuss how
best to act," Meloni told a meeting with the governors of Emilia
Romagna, Marche and Tuscany - which were also affected by the
extreme weather - and the heads of the provinces affected.
"It will be a permanent task force which, during the wait for
the commissioner's office to be decided, will be coordinated
within the (central) government by (Civil Protection) Minister
(Nello) Musumeci".
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