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Italy declares state of emergency after storms in southern regions

26 January 2026 22:51 (UTC +04:00)

Italy's government on Monday declared a state of emergency for southern regions battered by a violent storm last week, pledging swift financial aid to rebuild roads and businesses hit by the severe weather.

Relentless rain, powerful winds and waves as high as nine metres (30 ft) battered Sicily, Sardinia and Calabria for two days, pushing water inland and overwhelming coastal defences.

Authorities have estimated that the damage ran to more than 1 billion euros ($1.19 billion) but despite the scale of the destruction, officials reported no casualties.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government set aside an initial 100 million euros to address the initial needs of the hardest-hit areas, Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci said in a statement.

"In the coming days, the government will adopt a new interministerial measure to allow the restoration and reconstruction of the damaged infrastructure," Musumeci said.