FLORENCE, ITALY – A long waiting list of distress calls remained for emergency services on Monday as the damage toll mounted in Florence after a storm pummeled the Tuscan city Saturday evening August 1, 2015. Tuscany Governor Enrico Rossi was expected to sign a declaration of a state of emergency with Florence Mayor Dario Nardella.
Nardella has also said he will ask the national government to declare a state of emergency in his city, where more than 400 distress calls were still on a waiting list Monday morning.
A violent thunderstorm bearing hail and strong winds slammed Florence, knocking down a reported 330 trees, flooding streets and basements Saturday as the city was saturated with tourists.
At least 20 people reported injuries, including a teenager who suffered head trauma after being hit by a tree. Three apartment buildings had to be evacuated, a number of schools reported extensive damages while roads, including boulevard Lungarno Colombo that connects the southern part of the city to the highway, remained closed on Monday.
Service on a key Florence-Rome railway line was back to normal after being halted by a power outage caused by a roof that was ripped off by a whirlwind, toppling a power pylon. Immigrants being temporarily hosted by the Tuscan region, along with Civil Protection officers, were scheduled to begin helping firefighters Monday, local authorities said.
Photo: Riccardo Maremmi
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