Between Monday night and Tuesday morning, the island saw up to 400 millimetres of rain, comparable to the amount of rain that falls on the island within a six month period. The heavy rains caused rivers to overflow, bridges to collapse, and swept cars off of roads.

 

Prime Minister Letta held a cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning to handle the situation which he called a "national tragedy." At the meeting, the prime minister declared a state of emergency.

 

"This enables us to immediately be able to use rules for more rapid interventions and set aside an initial sum for the very first emergencies that emerged during the night," the prime minister said. 

 

The government has now allocated 20 million euros in relief efforts.

 

So far 18 people have been reported dead and many others still remain missing.