On Monday September 18th, heavy rains hit the Mediterranean island of Sardinia and killed 17 people. In a span of 24 hours, there was about half the amount of average rainfall for a year. Severe flooding was reported over much of the island, many roads were closed, and a few thousand people were displaced. This type of storm is extremely rare in this area of the world, and residents were unable to recall a time when something this severe had occurred. The Italian government declared a state of emergency and set aside 20 million Euros to help with rescue and clean up operations.