On 16 May 2023, around a hundred municipalities in the Italian region were involved in the flood which caused 17 deaths and displaced over 20 thousand. Exactly one year later, a podcast was published that tells the stories of solidarity and brotherhood linked to that event. Made by Marco Cortesi and Mara Moschini, it consists of 10 episodes, the first of which is already online. Cortesi: the next one had become the priority
Andrea De Angelis – Vatican City
When fear is mixed with pain, darkness seems to prevail. Despair. From the mud, however, good works can also arise and the light of solidarity takes shape. To the point of “making others the priority”, managing to illuminate in the emergency that concept of brotherhood that has already manifested itself in the past. May 16, 2023 is a sadly well-known day for Emilia-Romagna, that of the flood that caused 17 deaths and displaced over 20 thousand. Twenty-three waterways overflowed and over two hundred disasters and landslides occurred in those hours and in the days that immediately followed. Faced with such numbers, stories multiply, but they also risk being lost. A podcast, a year later, brings them back to memory.
A flooded school
Mud, story of a flood
“When on May 16th 4.5 billion cubic meters of water hit our city, Forlì, and over 105 municipalities in Emilia-Romagna, I decided together with my fellow author Mara Moschini to grab a camera, a microphone and collect stories,” he says Marco Cortesiauthor of the podcast, speaking live on the broadcast Vatican Radio with you. Our neighbor thus becomes the priority, in a context in which “the work of the Fire Brigade and Civil Protection is accompanied by that of parish priests, bishops and entire communities of the faithful”.
Listen to the interview with Marco Cortesi
Don’t lose your memory
“For almost 12 months we have been collecting these stories of humanity and courage, it seems that now there is a desire to move on, therefore – replies Cortesi to a question on the importance of not forgetting what happened a year ago – there is this temptation to leave everything behind, but – he warns – climate change, similar tragedies are unfortunately part of our present”, not just the past. Furthermore, it should be remembered that state aid is still ongoing and there is no lack of economic hardship for many families.
Ten stories
“Fango” can be accessed on the main online podcast platforms. Consisting of 10 episodes, it presents as many stories. The first of these was published on May 16, the first anniversary of the flood. ”
Our greatest desire is to make known how much the world of our religious communities has been a protagonist of solidarity in this emergency”, reiterates Cortesi, underlining how the podcast, a few days after its release, is already among the 30 most listened to in Italy.
Volunteers working on the streets
