Flood Crisis Expected

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31830, 7 November 1968, Page 11

Flood Crisis Expected

IN.Z.P.A -Reuter—Copyright >

RO VIGO (Italy), November 6.

Scores of deserted villages lay silent today along the lower reaches of the swollen Po River as a new crisis threatened in the Italian flood disaster — which has already taken more than 100 lives.

The villagers had left their homes for safety as torrential rain continued to fall and the river, rising 4|in an hour last night, reached its highest level in 17 years.

The crisis is expected today when the full spate of flood waters reaches the flat, low-lying areas of the Po estuary on the Adriatic. But this poor agricultural region, accustomed to flooding and fully prepared for a fresh onslaught, is not likely to suffer the disaster which struck Piedmont over the week-end.

In the alpine foothills round Biella, where torrents and landslides wreaked havoc three days ago, a huge rescue and rehabilitation operation gathered pace after a day of bright sunshine and clear skies.

More than 1200 soldiers helped by police, firemen, and volunteeer workers—including groups from Britain, France, and West Germany—were busy patching up broken bridges and damaged roads, and looking after flood victims.

Officials were still unable to calculate the full extent of the damage. But with roads and bridges broken in at least 150 places, scores of factories and hundreds of houses destroyed, thousands of farm animals dead, and all communications badly damaged, the final cost was expected to run into millions of dollars. Several thousand acres of land round Cremona have been flooded, and, downstream, farmers have rushed their families and animals away from the swelling river. As a safety measure, electricity supplies were cut off in the flooded areas.

At San Rocco al Porto, near Piacenza, firemen yesterday rescued more than 200 persons and about 1000 animals from flooded farms—but the level of the water was today reported sinking slowly as the crest of the flood passed on. Rescuers worked hard today after army vehicles managed to set up emergency bridges and carve roads through mud and debris to stricken communities.