George Clooney seen helping locals in Italy after Lake Como is hit by flooding
More than 60 people had to be rescued due to the extreme weather
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.George Clooney was among those affected by the severe floods that have hit northern Italy.
The Ocean’s Eleven star had been staying at his villa in the town of Laglio with his wife Amal Clooney and their two four-year-old children – Ella and Alexander – when the area was impacted by three days of heavy downpour.
On Tuesday (27 July), the torrential rain resulted in flooding. More than 60 people had to be rescued after the towns surrounding Lake Como felt the effects of the extreme weather, such as landslides.
Clooney was seen helping locals clean up debris in Laglio on Wednesday (28 July).
The 60-year-old met with Mayor Roberto Pozzi, as well as local business owners, to show his support.
Clooney told the Italian press: “It’s much worse than I thought. In Cernobbio the situation is serious. I spoke with the mayor, there will be a lot of work, it will take millions of dollars, but this city is strong.”
He continued: “It will react and return better than before. This is a very resilient city.”
Pozzi has ordered an evacuation of residents living in the most affected areas.
Speaking about Clooney, the mayor told The Sun: “George and his family are here and the road near their house is impassable in places but they are safe and there was no damage to their properties.”
The actor purchased the 18th-century villa in 2002. The 25-room property was bought for €11.7m (£9.95m).
Pozzi continued: “We had three days of continuous rain and then all hell broke loose and we were flooded with an amazing wall of water and debris from the mountain.”
He added that Laglio had become a “disaster zone”, revealing that four houses had been destroyed with their inhabitants being given alternative accommodation.
This is the latest example of extreme weather to hit Europe. In the past weeks, at least 170 people were killed as a result of the heavy flooding in Germany and Belgium.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments