VENICE, Nov 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The worst flooding to hit Venice in more than 50 years has brought the historic city to its knees, its mayor said.
“Venice is on its knees,” Mayor Luigi Brugnaro tweeted. “St. Mark’s Basilica has sustained serious damage, like the entire city and its islands.”
The crypt of St. Mark’s Basilica was inundated for just the sixth time in 1,200 years.
Local authorities in the Italian lagoon city called for a state of emergency to be imposed, as an elderly man was left dead in the floods. The unnamed man was killed on Tuesday night while he was trying to run electric pumps at his home on the island of Pellestrina, Alessandro Bertasi, spokesman for Venice’s mayor, told CNN.
The popular tourist destination was struck by an exceptionally high tide on Tuesday night, which peaked at 187 centimetres (73.6 inches), according to a statement by Venice’s government Wednesday morning.
It is the worst flooding in Venice since 1966, when the city was hit by tides up to 194 cm (76.4 inches) high, according to government statistics.
Brugnaro said it would cost hundreds of millions of euros to fix the city, telling reporters at a news conference that the damage was “enormous.”
Francesco Moraglia, the Patriarch of St Mark’s Basilica Monsignor, also told reporters: “I have never seen something like what I saw yesterday afternoon [Tuesday] at St. Mark’s square. There were waves as if we were at the beach.”
More rain and strong winds are expected in the coming days, according to Luca Zaia, the President of the Veneto Region.
On Tuesday, the Tide Forecasting and Reporting Center of Civil Protection said that 45% of the city was flooded. Thirty volunteers will be deployed to help with the clean-up, it said.
It also asked citizens and businesses to collect evidence of any damage their properties had suffered so they could request compensation.
In a tweet, Venice’s mayor Luigi Brugnaro blamed climate change for the unusually high tides, and said the tide was “a wound that will leave a permanent mark.”
Only around 53,000 residents live in Venice, which has seen its population dwindle over the past 50 years as it tries to curb over-tourism.
Tides of 140cm or more are known as “acqua alta” in Italian, and generally take place in wintertime, according to Venice’s municipality website. — NNN-AGENCIES
