Flood, a year later between reconstruction and promises: little compensation, in the mountains and in the fields they don’t give up but what an effort

A year ago the first wave of torrential rains on May 2nd and 3rd was a tragic preview, then on May 16th and 17th the second. Somehow all the waterways flooded, Sassatelli and Gaiana were swept with a meter of water for weeks, the Partecipanza flooded the fields to save the hamlet of Sant’Antonio; in the hills 5 thousand landslides in the Imola district alone.

And there is a victim, on May 3, Enrico Rivola, 78 years old, buried by the collapse of his home in Fontanelice. After the emergency and the solidarity, the mud volunteers and the helicopter flights of the Government and European authorities, the promises to compensate families and businesses 100%, the months of waiting for the appointment of the commissioner took over. Of the money to rebuild, out of an estimated 8.5 billion in damages, 4 have been allocated by the Government and it is not easy to obtain.

Construction sites on rivers and roads are progressing – the Region now has 402 of which 103 have already been completed – but depopulation is feared in the mountains and there is not much joy among farmers in the plains. One year later, what has been done and what is missing? The effort of “keeping up” and the anger of those who have lost everything.

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On «Saturday Evening» on newsstands from tomorrow, Thursday 9 May, the stories of those who experienced the flood first-hand: the criticality of the roads, the situation today of the chestnut groves in the Valley and of the farms in the plains and the anger of the farmers.