Flash floods engulfed Palermo after the most violent rainstorm in 200 years hit the Sicilian capital on July 15, 2020.
At least two deaths reported while rescue teams searched overnight and into Thursday morning for people feared to have drowned after the apocalyptic flooding on Wednesday night.
The mayor said it was the most violent rainstorm since “at least 1790” after more than one metre of rain falling in under two hours, leaving cars submerged in parts of the city centre.
Italian media initially reported that two people had drowned in the flooding, following an eyewitness report of a couple trapped in their car in a flooded underpass.
Si sappia, un'ora di pioggia! @ComunePalermo @LeolucaOrlando1 @rep_palermo @PalermoToday @Regione_Sicilia #palermo pic.twitter.com/v5K5HxIezK
— Silvano Matranga (@SilvanoMatranga) July 15, 2020
However, firefighters confirmed that there were no confirmed deaths or serious injuries due to the flooding. Let see how many corpses they will find after pumping out the flood water!
Two small children were reportedly taken to hospital with suspected hypothermia after being trapped in a car with their parents in the same submerged underpass.
Videos published online show people caught in the rainstorm, abandoning their submerged vehicles and swimming through deep water and mud, while recycling bins and other objects floated down flooded streets.
Massive storm causes citywide flooding in Palermo, Italy. Two reported dead. Witness describes scene as "apocalyptic." #Palermo #floods #Italy #storm pic.twitter.com/8G9Z49u893
— Christina Penza (@ChristinaPenza) July 16, 2020
This type of sudden, violent rainfall is commonly called a bomba d’acqua, or “water bomb”, in Italian.
However this particularly heavy rainstorm was the worst the city has seen in over 200 years, Palermo’s mayor said.
“Over a meter of rain fell in Palermo in less than two hours,” mayor Leoluca Orlando told Italian news agency Ansa. He said it was “the most violent rainstorm in the history of the city since at least 1790, equal to that which usually falls in a year.”
#Palermo, bomba d'acqua pic.twitter.com/6fd4WyN4AE
— il boss (@mbartolotta63) July 15, 2020
He said the city had no warning ahead of the violent rainfall, and the civil protection agency had not issued any weather alerts for the area.
Orlando said that if the city had received advance warning, “procedures would have been activated which, despite the extraordinary nature of today’s events, could have mitigated the risks.”
More biblical floods on Strange Sounds and Steve Quayle. Now if you are looking for supplements to increase your healthy lifestyle please shop Natural Health Source. Thank you for your support! [The Local]
Bangladesh was under water as well. Dacka city capital of Bangladesh. We need pray for great springs end to wars and all floods and quakes , at one point we all must have disobeyed laws of great spirit. Now we all have to pay a price unfortunately. Please if you can just sale your home or end being in these states. AZ, CA, OR, WA , FL, TX Maine and few others. Go to cities with low populations since you have to work hard from home why make PMT 3000 while you can pay PMT 2000 ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IwiAxruSAA PDX still riots ?LIVE