Exceptional rains Wednesday in a drought-struck region of northern Italy swelled rivers over their banks, killing at least eight people, forcing the evacuation of thousands and prompting officials to warn that Italy needs a national plan to combat climate change-induced flooding. The heavy rains also forced Formula One to cancel this weekend’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix to not overtax emergency crews that were already stretched thin in responding to the rivers of mud that have torn through the region, wreaking havoc on infrastructure and homes. Days of rainstorms stretched across a broad swath of northern Italy and the Balkans, where "apocalyptic" floods, landslides and evacuations were also reported in Croatia, Bosnia and Slovenia. The deputy governor of Emilia-Romagna, Irene Priolo, said eight people were killed and others unaccounted for in flooding that forced the evacuation of more than 10,000 people. Among the dead was a farmer who defied floodwaters to try to save equipment on his property, officials said. His wife was among the missing. Rescue helicopters plucked people from rooftops as floodwaters rose ever higher in homes. In one rescue, a coast guard member pulled a woman out through a skylight from her home and held her tight as the two were winched to a hovering helicopter and pulled inside. "Even upper floors aren’t safe any more,″ Gian Luca Zattini, mayor of Forli’, one of the hardest-hit towns, told Sky TG24 TV. LATEST: https://bit.ly/3WbVxMe #fox10phoenix #weather #italy Subscribe to FOX 10 Phoenix! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNjfNLnQYbjBEvnS8KFuyGQ?sub_confirmation=1 Watch FOX 10 Phoenix live: https://www.fox10phoenix.com/live FOX 10 Phoenix delivers breaking news, live events, politics, entertainment, business news and local stories from Phoenix, Arizona and across the nation. Watch more FOX 10 Phoenix on YouTube: Arizona Headlines: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjk-Nxa5HqPtshEuaekDdk3dtuBkjdJbJ Crime in Arizona: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjk-Nxa5HqPvQaa9P4w8m1ix7_15LwH5E Missing in Arizona: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjk-Nxa5HqPuYhJMAo02-tr-7GdyONrVG National Headlines: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjk-Nxa5HqPtq-kkrH0cQ3ZIYpLj5MGVT Download FOX 10 Phoenix News and Weather App: https://www.fox10phoenix.com/apps Follow FOX 10 Phoenix on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FOX10Phoenix Follow FOX 10 Phoenix on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/FOX10Phoenix Follow FOX 10 Phoenix on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fox10phoenix Subscribe to FOX 10 Phoenix's newsletters: https://www.fox10phoenix.com/email