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Anything BUT climate change, of course.
The Daily Mail comes up with the pics
Outrage
in Italy over 'shame' of Genoa flood chaos with officials blamed for
city being buried in mud and debris after downpour
Italians have attacked their government for failing to protect the Medieval port city of Genoa after floods there killed one man and left the streets caked in mud.
13
October, 2014
The
city's archbishop and Italy's biggest daily newspaper blasted the
'shameful' failures over the torrent - which comes less than three
years after a similar disaster in Genoa killed seven people.
Some
parts of the northern city have seen two thirds of a year's rainfall
in 72 hours, hurling cars into each other and reducing public
services to chaos as the cleanup cost is estimated at £157million.
Corriere
della Sera, Italy's biggest daily newspaper, attacked the government
by announcing in its front page headline yesterday: 'The mud of
Genoa, shame of a country'.
And
Archbishop of Genoa Angelo Bagnasco called for a 'timely and massive'
action by the government to resolve the crisis and prevent similar
disasters in future.
on.
Destruction: Floods in Genoa, Italy, have killed one man and left the city's streets full of filthy water and mud
Anger: Italy's biggest daily newspaper attacked the government's 'shameful' failure to prevent the disaster
Disaster: The cleanup costs have been put at £157million - not including private individuals and insurance firms
'Everyone
knows what their responsibilities are,' he said, his clothes
spattered with mud after a tour of the city.
'It's
absurd and shameful that bureaucracy of any kind should be blocking
funds which are absolutely necessary for resolving these problems,'
he said.
Last
night authorities warned the disaster could get worse with heavy rain
predicted until Monday
y.
Mess: The Bisagno river burst its banks on Thursday night, leaving the streets strewn with debris and mud
Power of nature: The floods wrecked cars and smashed through shop windows in the Medieval port city
Parked: Genoa is vulnerable because it sits between the sea and a ring of steep mountains with heavy rain
'What is really alarming is how little has been done in three years to make Genoa secure from another flooding disaster,' said Francesco Vincenzi, president of ANBI, anational association for water safety organisation
Governor
Claudio Burlando said the estimated damage to public infrastructure
was 200million euros (£157million) - not including all the costs to
be borne by private landowners and insurance firms.
Franco
Gabrielli, the head of the civil protection authority, added: 'We are
still in full emergency.
'The
forecasts for the next few hours offer no relief at all for tomorrow
and Monday.'
He
admitted that authorities had failed to predict the huge volume of
rain.
Parts
of the city, where the average rainfall is just over 1,000mm a year,
saw 700mm in 72 hours.
But
Mr Gabrieli criticised delays in reinforcing the banks of the Bisagno
river, the biggest in Genoa, which burst its swollen banks late on
Thursday night.
ht.
Civil protection chief Franco Gabrielli said: 'We are still in full emergency. The forecasts offer no relief at all'
Archbishop of Genoa Angelo Bagnasco said: 'It's absurd and shameful that bureaucracy should block funds'
Streets of mud: Parts of the city, where average rainfall is just over 1,000mm a year, saw 700mm in 72 hours
Critics say Italy has failed to protect Genoa from the elements. One major flood defence project was pulled
Volunteers: Residents of the northern city have pulled together to begin clearing the streets despite more rain
He
added it was a 'scandal' that 35million euros set aside for the work
after the 2011 floods had not been spent because of a legal dispute.
Genoa's
position between the sea and a ring of steep mountains has made it
particularly vulnerable to storms and floods.
But
critics say successive governments have been mired in bureaucracy and
failed to approve proper flood defences or building regulations.
Italy's
economic crisis has also seen much public spending pared to the bone.
'What
is really alarming is how little has been done in three years to make
Genoa secure from another flooding disaster,' said Francesco
Vincenzi, president of ANBI, a national association for water safety
organisations.
cy'.
Digging in: Authorities have warned the rain is set to continue until Monday and could cause more flooding
Effort: Thousands of people emerged from the cleanup effort covered in mud, including Genoa's archbishop
Italy's biggest daily newspaper announced in its front page headline: 'The mud of Genoa, shame of a country'.
Community effort: Italy's stagnant economy means public spending has been pared to the bone in many areas
He
added: 'The problem of water security in Italy isn't mainly to do
with resources, it's about political will and bureaucracy'.
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