technology and the kind of organization to monitor the situation and to intervene if an emergency arises , '' he said . Bertolaso noted that authorities have been keeping a minute-by-minute watch because of heavy storms over the past few days . He said the water level would probably increase for a few more hours and eventually peak between 8 p.m. and midnight local time Friday -LRB- between 1800 and 2200 GMT -RRB- . `` If there will be no more rain , the situation is expected to stabilize , '' he said . Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno said he did not expect a major flood and noted that only a few dwellings have been evacuated -- primarily those inhabited by immigrants and Roma , who have set up makeshift camps on the banks of the Tiber . `` I just recommend people to stay at home and not to rush to the river banks to watch the river swelling , '' Alemanno said . Hundreds of volunteers and civil protection officials have been deployed around Rome to monitor the situation , the Civil Protection Department said . Sandbags have been lined up to contain any possible river overflow ,
ROME , Italy -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Officials monitoring the River Tiber in Rome fear it could break its banks as early as Friday evening after a spate of bad weather in Italy -- but do not expect major flooding . A rescue boat patrols the swollen River Tiber in central Rome early Friday . Guido Bertolaso , the head of the Italian Civil Protection Department said that there is a 20 to 30 percent chance the river could break its banks and cause disruption in some neighborhoods in northern Rome , but not in the historic city center . Two people have died in weather-related incidents elsewhere in Italy . `` We see that the flow is increasing , but it is not reaching a level that could be dangerous for the capital city of Italy , '' said Bertolaso about the Tiber , deeming the situation `` crucial but not serious . '' Bertolaso , calling the situation `` quite extraordinary , '' labeled the flood threat and storms as the `` fifth most serious situation of the past 100 years . '' `` But I think it is under control and the secret is to have the