MILAN, Italy More than 20,000 people were still in emergency shelter in northern Italy Friday after massive floods, but the worst of the flooding was expected to be over by Sunday, said Italy's Interior Minister Enzo Bianco as quoted by AFP.
As clean-up operations continued in northwest Italy and central parts of the eastern Po River plain, Bianco said the river delta was the last region where dykes were being reinforced if necessary.
The river crest that had built up after torrential rains hit the Italian Alps early this week was expected to reach the Adriatic Sea by Sunday.
"Thank God, weather conditions help us," Bianco said, but it was raining again Friday in Turin and the Aosta valley.
The authorities announced Friday that one of the missing had been confirmed dead, bringing to 25 the number of people killed by the massive floods. Four people are still missing.
Twenty-two thousand people remained in temporary shelters Friday, down from 40,000 at the most critical period earlier this week, Bianco said.
By Monday, another 16,000 were expected to return to their homes.
However, the remaining 6,000 people are being considered homeless.
The authorities said that 16,700 people are involved in the emergency operation caused by the flooding last weekend.