The streets of Florence are flooded with a rainy storm that whips Italy

The heavy rains that hit Italy have grown the rivers and flooded the streets of Florence. Before the storm, the authorities have issued a red weather alert for the historic Italian city and its surroundings, urging residents to remain in their homes.

Eugenio Giani, responsible for the central Tuscan region that includes Florence and Pisa, urged citizens to have “maximum care and attention”, warning of “intense and persistent rains” during the day. The Fire Service published images of partially submerged cars in the water in the neighborhood of Sesto Fiorentino, north of the Historic Center of Florence.

The Tuscan officer has said that until mid -morning on Friday he had received dozens of requests for help throughout the city. The schools, parks and cemeteries of Florence and the nearby Prato had already been closed this Friday after the day before was declared an amber weather alert (one below the maximum red).

Giani said that gates and expansion tanks were ready to open if necessary to relieve pressure on the Arno, the river that crosses Florence and Pisa to the sea. To the northeast, the authorities also issued a red weather alert for the Emilia Romagna region, where devastating floods left 17 people dead two years ago.

Some rivers in the region, which includes the historic city of Bologna, were already grown by the previous rains. The municipality said Friday morning that the situation was “under control”, but more rain was forecast for that afternoon.