Crews work to reach Italian towns isolated by floods as cleanup begins

Rescue crews are working to reach towns and villages in northern Italy that were cut off from highways, electricity and cell phone service following heavy rains and flooding. Farmers are warning of “incalculable” losses and authorities have begun mapping out cleanup and reconstruction plans. The death toll from rains that pushed two dozen rivers and tributaries to burst their banks stood at nine, with some people still unaccounted-for. The drought-parched region of Emilia-Romagna had already estimated some 1 billion euros in losses from heavy rains earlier this month. But officials said the losses now reached multiple billions given the widespread damage to farmland, storefronts and infrastructure from this week’s flooding.