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May 20 (UPI) -- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni left the Group of Seven Summit in Japan early to address the worst flooding Italy has experienced in a century as the situation remained critical on Saturday. Flooding, concentrated primarily in Italy's northeastern Emilia-Romagna region, has left at least 14 dead and affected dozens of towns and villages. A "red alert" emergency status remained in effect for the region over the weekend.
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Meloni told reporters in Hiroshima, Japan, her "conscience" required her to return home immediately and that she had probably already stayed away too long as the fallout from the devastating floods has become more apparent.
The country's Council of Ministers is set to meet Tuesday to address the still-volatile situation.
About 100 municipalities have been damaged in the flooding, according to Irene Priolo, deputy governor of Emilia-Romagna.
"Seen from above, the territory looks like it has been bombed," she told the ANSA news agency.
More than 36,000 people have been evacuated for the region as of Saturday.
Officials said the disaster has irreversibly damaged trees in the region's extensive orchards, likely impacting fruit production for years. An estimated 881 million pounds of wheat have been destroyed by floods in the agriculture-rich region while farm animals have been drowned.
The floods have triggered hundreds of mudslides have closed more than 500 roads, including the major A1 highway. Train travel has also been severely disrupted.
Emilia-Romagna regional president Stefano Bonaccini said the financial damage from the floods will run into the billions of dollars, but he vowed the region will rebuild.
