Exceptional weather becomes the new norm in exposed Italy

Military officers assist a person on a dinghy after heavy rains hit Italy's Emilia Romagna region, in Faenza, Italy, May 18, 2023. REUTERS/Claudia Greco

ROME (Reuters) - Storms, avalanches, floods and drought have slammed Italy over the past year, killing dozens of people, as once exceptional disasters become a regular part of life, leaving the government scrambling to find answers.

"Climate change is here and we are living the consequences. It isn't some remote prospect, it is the new normal," said Paola Pino d'Astore, an expert at the Italian Society of Environmental Geology (SIGEA).