ROME – The feast day of the Immaculate Conception has been marred by heavy rain, strong winds and storms throughout the country, particularly in North East Italy, Lazio and Campania, emergency services said on Tuesday.

 Of the 3,000 calls for help since the emergency began, more than 1,400 have came from Veneto between Belluno, Vincenza Treviso and Venice, with firefighters evacuating 99 people from flooded or at risk homes.

 In Emilia Romagna, emergency crews have responded to 507 weather-related calls: 375 in the province of Modena, where firefighters used amphibious vehicles to evacuate 332 people in areas flooded by the Panaro river.

 In Campania and Sicily, firefighters have dealt with 350 emergencies, while Lazio, where it has been raining for four days, is on red alert until Sunday.

 The civil protection agency yesterday closed wharfs after Rome’s Tiber river rose to dangerously high levels. Many roads in the capital were also closed due to fallen trees. In via Appia Nuova, near Villa Lazzaroni, a crane was used to remove a tree that had fallen on two cars.

 Firefighters were also called out to “Vecchia Pineta” seafront restaurant at Ostia where strong winds overnight ripped through beach huts, hurling them onto the road.

 The bad weather is expected to continue to lash many regions at least until the weekend.

 cc