Photo: MEGA

Mayor of Laglio Roberto Pozzi with George Clooney in the midst of rubble caused by bad weather in Laglio on July 28, 2021.

The following day, Clooney — who was in town with his wifeAmal Clooneyand their 4-year-old twins — was seentouring the damage. He also helped residents with their clean-up efforts, reportedThe Independent.

“The situation is much more critical than what was imagined. In Cernobbio the situation is very serious, in Laglio, it is even worse,” a local source told PEOPLE. “I spoke with the mayor. There is a lot of work that needs to be done, and it will require substantial funds. But I am certain this place will become better than it was before.”

“However, this town has always been very strong and will continue to be so in the future. This is a very resilient place,” the source continued.

“[Clooney] came straight to the town hall to see what had happened and we took a tour of the damage,” local mayor Roberto Pozzi told theU.K. Timeson Friday.

“He was really perturbed and said he wanted to help out. We’re raising funds and I think he will be using his own channels to do so too so we can help out people who have been made homeless,” Pozzi added.

Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty

A fireman inspects damages caused by a landslide in Laglio, on July 28, 2021, after heavy rain caused floods in towns surrounding Lake Como in northern Italy.

Video footage shows Clooney speaking about the damage with astate-run television station.

“It’s much worse than I thought,” Clooney said in the video. “I have spoken to the mayor — there will be a lot of work, it will take millions of dollars, but this city is strong. It will react and return better than before. This is a very resilient city.”

Pozzi went on to tell the U.K. outlet that four houses were destroyed in the flooding.

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“Now we need the government to declare a state of emergency and provide extraordinary financial support,” he told theU.K. Times.

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In June, a source in the areatold PEOPLEthat Clooney and his family had returned to Lake Como after being away longer than usual.

“They didn’t spend time in Lake Como last year. It’s the first time in two years that they are back in Italy,” the source said.

Maria Pasquini

source: people.com