Venice, the beautiful “canal city” in northeastern Italy, is experiencing its second-highest water level ever recorded. Heavy rains since November 12 have caused the canal system surrounding Venice to rise, flooding ancient churches and submerging squares and alleys.
By November 14, more than 85% of Venice was flooded. The Venice Tide Forecasters predicted a peak water level of 1.27 m. However, the continuous heavy rains caused the floodwaters to rise to 1.87 m, a record high in the past 50 years.
St Mark's Square - one of the lowest areas of the city - was among the worst hit.
The city's mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, said the highest floodwaters in more than 50 years would leave a "permanent mark" on the city. He said the impact of climate change was so great that the government needed to listen and act. "The situation is serious. We have asked the government for help."
The damage caused by the floods is now "extreme" and the government has declared a state of disaster, warning that a project to prevent Venice from being devastated by floods must be completed soon. Two people have died and three vaporetti (Venice's public passenger boats) have sunk in the floods.
All schools and hospitals will also be closed until the water level subsides. Officials have advised residents not to leave their homes unless necessary. Local boats have been deployed to act as water ambulances. Temporary planks have also been placed to allow residents and visitors to move around.
In fact, a project to protect the city from flooding has been underway since 2003 but has been stalled by lack of funding, scandals and delays.
The flooding in Venice this time was caused by a combination of high tides and a meteorological storm caused by strong northeasterly winds in the Adriatic Sea. When these two phenomena combine, they create a phenomenon called Acqua Alta (high water).
In a constantly changing climate, sea levels are rising and a sinking city like Venice is highly vulnerable to these changes. The ever-increasing frequency of the tides is a testament to this.
"Unusual flooding in Venice is caused by climate change, and will occur not every 50 years as before, but every 3-5 years," said Alexey Kokorin, Director of the WWF Russia Climate and Energy Program.
The weather is forecast to worsen in the coming days and travellers are advised to exercise caution. The regions of Basilicata, Calabria and Sicily have also been put on maximum alert as rain and strong winds continue to batter southern Italy.
