Mudslides Leave at Least 3 Dead in Italy

Due to heavy rain lately in southern Italy, a number of landslides have occurred due to flooding leaving at least 3 people dead.  Italy is a landslide prone region due to its steep slopes and the resulting landslides have washed away cars and taken out bridges in the last few days.  Italian residents have taken a great risk by building their houses on these steep slopes and are now starting to pay for it due to the heavy rains.  The flooding and mudslides have also created havoc for railroads especially in Sicily closing them down temporarily.  This is the second time since fall that Italy has been hit by flash flooding and landslides.  Italian citizens are starting to blame much of the destruction on failure to regularly clean storm drains.  People are claiming this to be a "dramatic national emergency" and soldiers have been coming to the area to help rescue stranded persons.

This is an image from msnbc.com showing people leaving parts of Sicily to escape the mudslides resulting from the hard rain the last few days.