The heaviest flooding in a century hit the Emilia Romagna region in northern Italy, causing widespread devastation affecting housing, businesses and agriculture.

More than half the normal annual rainfall fell one evening in just 36 hours. It caused rivers and canals to burst their banks, with waters more than a meter high flooding the province.

It left over 30,000 people displaced from their homes and killed 14 people.

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A major clean-up operation is underway, with thousands of volunteers along with rescue workers clearing mud and debris from homes and offices in the towns of Cesena and Ravenna.

"You need to go through a tragic moment to realize we are humans," said volunteer Sofia Sachetti while clearing mud from a Cesena basement. "There is good in us and there is a sense of community."

'It's all ruined'

Some small towns are still more than a meter underwater, almost a week on from the first heavy rainfall.

Conselice, situated between two canals, is one of the lowest points in the region. On Monday, rescue workers were still ferrying people from their properties in boats, with water depths on some streets reaching more than 30 centimeters. 

A week before, waters rose half a foot from ground levels in a period of 40 minutes which flooded almost all ground levels and basements in the town.

In local resident Jose Antonio Tonini's house, flood waters were knee high, destroying all electrical appliances and his two daughters' downstairs bedrooms.

"It's all ruined, I've lost everything, nothing is left. I must pack up and go to rent another house. It's not habitable," he told CGTN.

Support to smaller towns has been slower to arrive, bigger towns in the area have used water pumps to clean up streets faster. Conselice's streets are still submerged. 

Stagnant flood water has become dirty with sewage, and refuse has spread to the streets and people's houses.

'We need a rebirth'

Residents have also been concerned after hearing reports of looting from empty homes in nearby towns.

"The thieves are arriving, yesterday evening they stole from the houses behind ours," Tonini said. "I'm not scared of thieves – they won't enter my house while I'm here – however, if I leave the house unattended they will surely come."

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has promised to support the recovery of flood-hit areas, visiting Emilia Romagna on Sunday after cutting short her participation at the G7 summit in Japan. And on Tuesday, her government approved a $2.2 billion relief package.

The waters have caused billions of euros of damage across the region. And for locals like Alessandro Pafunde, support cannot come fast enough. 

"We put our hopes in help, but help or no help, we need a rebirth," says Pafunde.

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