Tiber about to flood banks
Italian officials are on “alert” as severe winter weather threatened to swell rivers in some cities including Rome, prompting evacuation preparations.
Heavy rains and snow throughout Europe are prompting authorities to warn of avalanches, flooding and blackouts throughout the region. In Belgium, the first winter snow and the resulting electricity blackouts and ice on the roads caused two deaths and several injuries, news agency Ansa reported.
Rome was almost flooded at the weekend as heavy rainfall swelled the banks of the Tiber river, prompting emergency services to prepare to evacuate parts of the city, according to a statement from the region of Lazio, where the capital city is located. Should the water level rise to 16 meters from its usual 6-meter height, the river could overflow its banks, La Repubblica said, citing city officials.
In Rome, where the level of the Tiber rose above 14 meters, officials opened 5 metro stations to provide shelter for homeless people who live on the banks of the river, according to La Repubblica. Fireman started evacuating several hundred people from houses near the Tiber late on Sunday.
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