In the Sardinian town of Olbia – one of the areas hardest-hit by the torrential rainfall generated by Cyclone Cleopatra – municipal authorities are focused on helping residents return to their homes.

Gianfranco Galaffu of Olbia’s prefecture told euronews: “As of this morning 4,000-5,000 people were displaced.”

“Now the issue is to make sure that people can return to their homes from hotels or the homes of relatives and friends. Everybody’s helping us – volunteers from the other provinces, people from public institutions, state, and regional centre. Everybody’s here in force,” Galuffu continued.

At least 18 people were killed when Sardinia was hit by torrential rains generated Cyclone Cleopatra.

The Italian government, which described the cyclone as a “national tragedy”, announced 20 million euros of emergency funding to help Sardinia recover.