``In the next three days we will draw up evacuation plans for areas at risk so if there are more mudslides we can warn people in time,'' head of rescue efforts in Sarno -- the worst-hit town in the stricken area around Naples -- Cosimo Golizia said yesterday.

``Weather forecasts say we should not have rain before the next 70 hours ... During this time, we have to get ready,'' he said.

Residents in the affected Campania region have blamed local officials and the central government for not alerting them in time about the danger they faced when last week's rains dislodged topsoil from mountains, unleashing rivers of mud. Prime Minister Romano Prodi has also been accused of failing to stop illegal construction or moving to reverse environmental imbalance in the area.