Monday, December 1, 2008

Flood waters submerge historic center of Venice

New York Daily News: Venice has been hit with its worst flooding in more than 20 years, leaving much of the city canal criss-crossed submerged and forcing residents and tourists to wade through knee-high water toward dry ground. City officials reported the sea level topped 156 centimeters (61) inches on Monday. The flood mark is 110 centimeters (40 inches).

Photographs from the flooded area showed people wading through deep water covering the famed Piazza San Marco –St. Mark’s Square – which is the city’s lowest point. Other photographs showed city workers struggling to build elevated wooden walkways to aid people trying to evacuate flooded areas. The floods were sparked after heavy rains and strong winds lashed the lagoon city, pushing sea levels to their highest point in 22 years.

Ferry and water taxi services were suspended and the Venice mayor was urging people to stay indoors. The Centro Maree, which forecasts water levels, reported sea levels in the Adriatic rose 1.56 meters (5.1 ft) – a level not seen since 1986. The Piazza San Marco was under almost 3 feet of water at one point, before levels receded, the news agency ANSA reported. Previous highs include 1.58 meters in 1986 and 1.66 meters in 1979, the news agency said…

Venice from space, shot by NASA

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I have a cousin who lives/works there at a glass-blowing studio. He says that a woman was attacked and killed by a shark today while walking to work - and that the tourist board is working overtime to cover the story up!