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Heavy Floods Affect North-West Italy

Advice and Information

12 November

River banks in Salerno and Veneto have burst due to continuous heavy rain in Northwestern Italy. The FCO advises tourists to follow the advice below.

Affected Areas

Massa, in Tuscany, has been the most affected; cities in Veneto such as Vicenza and Verona have also experienced extensive damage.

Flooding is expected to continue into rural areas along the Po River in the north and predicted to spread into Tuscany's Viareggio and Lucca regions.

Essential Advice For Tourists Supplied By The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO):

If you have booked a trip to Tuscany or nearby areas, the FCO advises the following:

  • Keep informed via local news media
  • Check with your tour operator ahead of time to find out if your destination is affected
  • Check your flight status before departing
  • Follow the instructions of local authorities if you are already in a flooded area
  • See FCO updates on Facebook or follow @britishabroad on Twitter
  • Seek further assistance from the British Embassy In Rome
  • Ensure you have travel and medical insurance before you leave for your destination
  • Register with LOCATE to stay prepared in case of an emergency

The Degree Of Damage

Numerous regions have been battling to cope since Monday as businesses are shut down, transport links are interrupted and schools face closures.

Thirteen municipalities in Italy have been rendered without water as the intense rainfall damaged an aqueduct in Salerno. Many of the country's farmlands are experiencing extensive losses in livestock and crops. The floods have destroyed whole crops of fruit, tobacco, vegetables and drowned over 150,000 livestock in Veneto.

The devastation caused by the floods is estimated to cost the country €1 billion ($1.4 billion) and in the province of Veneto it is projected that the damage amounts to a hefty sum of $300 million.

This devastation has prompted Premier Silvio Berlusconi to budget more than $400 million to help boost the local economy.

"With this allocation of funding we are following up on the promises we made yesterday when we said there would be an immediate intervention," Berlusconi said.