Distraught woman cries 'my home no longer exists' after devastating Italy floods
A distraught woman has said her house "no longer exists" following devastating floods that killed 15 people, forced 36,000 to leave their homes and left almost 20,000 without power in Italy last week.
Distressing footage published on social media shows Mirella Berardinelli, a resident of Forlì, in the Emilia Romagna region, saying that she has lost everything, including her property and her pets.
The extreme weather saw six months' worth of rain come down in just 36 hours, causing widespread damage and cutting communities off due to the huge amount of mud and water in the streets.
In the aftermath of the floods, standing on a road covered in mud and pointing at her home at the end of the street, Ms Berardinelli, 56, said: "My home is down there, it was down there.
Mirella Berardinelli's home and shop were destroyed by floods last week (Mirivesto Abbigliamento Donna/Facebook)
She cried saying 'my house no longer exists' (Mirivesto Abbigliamento Donna/Facebook)"I had a small flat on the ground floor. Here there is a hill going down and at the bottom, there was a small flat that no longer exists as it's submerged in metres of water.
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"It's no longer there. It no longer exists. For me, this is a tragedy. I can't accept it.
"I could have accepted 'Mirivesto', my shop, but not my house."
The heartbroken resident then went on to show more details of a building covered in water and, zooming in with a phone camera, she said: "I had a small flat down there, where you can see that shed.
"There was my house, which is flooded with so much water.
"We will never come out of this tragedy, this is a disaster. How can you not have a house?"
Volunteers help residents to clear streets and homes by shoveling mud in neighbourhoods that have been submerged (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)Crying, she added: "One can be without a job, but not without a home.
"We have nothing left, I'll never get over this, I can't take it, there's nothing left.
"We also had two canaries that died, a cat, there's nothing left, there's nothing left."
In another video published on Facebook, Ms Berardinelli showed her dead pets and all her belongings, including plates, a bed, clothes and wardrobes that were destroyed.
Fifteen people have died and forty thousand have been evacuated from their homes (Getty Images)She said: "We have nothing left. Nothing was saved. We also had a garden where we have now piled up everything, including porcelain, my wedding gifts.
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"This is everything that is left of 37 years living here."
Showing her two dead canaries, the woman said: "I am desperate. This is Mandarino (one of the birds), I know someone will think I'm crazy but I'm not.
"Mandarino waited for me every single morning.
"This is Ciro (the other bird). I haven't thrown them away, you can't throw away human beings. They will be buried in the garden of a woman, named Stefania, who is hosting me and I want to thank her for allowing me to sleep over at her home."
Volunteers have joined in efforts to clear the roads and people's homes in the hope of going back to normality as soon as possible.
People are rescued in Faenza, Italy (AP)Roads in Forlì and nearby towns have been lined up with people's belongings including sofas, TVs, cupboards and other items that were completely destroyed by the mud.
Pictures and videos from the scene show many residents, especially young people, wearing boots and using shovels to move the mud away.
A moving photo from the scene shows a Carabiniere - a member of the Italian paramilitary police - carrying an elderly man on his shoulders after rescuing him from a flooded area.
A Carabinieri officer wades through floodwater while carrying an elderly man on his back (STEFANO TEDIOLI/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)Another image, that we published yesterday, shows a policewoman rescuing a small child from the mud in Massa Lombarda, a comune in the province of Ravenna.
The police tweeted: "A child now safe, in the arms of a policewoman from the Mobile Department who arrived to assist citizens in Emilia Romagna.
People's belongings line the streets of Forlì (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)"An image that gives us hope, with the wish that we can soon return to living our days with serenity."
The child was taken to his grandparents' home by the police, Superintendent Silvia Giannini explained.
Italian police rescued a child from the mud following heavy floods in Emilia Romagna (@poliziadistato/Twitter)
Flooding in the city of Cesena earlier this week (REX/Shutterstock)Local reports say that supermarkets in the areas hit by the extreme weather condition are empty and there is a lack of food as roads are blocked and suppliers are unable to reach shops to supply fresh produce.
Officials in Italy said the risk of landslides is high following last week's floods - and 622 roads in Emilia Romagna are either partially or completely closed.
A red weather alert is still in force in the region because of the risk of river overflows and landslides.
Firefighters pull an inflatable dinghy as they wade a flooded street in Conselice, near Ravenna (Getty Images)Arera, the Italian Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and Environment, has issued an emergency measure to momentarily stop the payment of water, electricity, gas and rubbish bills for those hit by the floods.
In the Forlì-Cesena area, which was among the worst affected by the floods, people can visit www.volontarisos.it to sign up as volunteers.
Around the city, there are also many places where anyone can donate clothes, personal hygiene products and food for those who were evacuated from their homes.
Those in Ravenna can send an email to [email protected] if they want to volunteer in the area.
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