Flooded Venice ‘on its knees’

THE mayor of Venice is blaming climate change for flooding in the historic canal city that has reached the second-highest levels ever recorded, as another exceptional water level was experienced yesterday.

The high-water mark hit 187 centimeters late Tuesday, meaning more than 85 percent of the city was flooded. The highest level ever recorded was 194 centimeters during the infamous flood of 1966.

A man in his 70s died on the barrier island of Pellestrina, apparently of electrocution, said Danny Carrella, an official on the island of 3,500 inhabitants. He said the situation there remained dramatic, with a meter of water still present due to broken pumps.

Floodwaters inundated the famed St Mark’s Basilica, raising anew concerns over damage to the mosaics and other artworks.

Officials said a second exceptional high of 160 centimeters was recorded at midmorning yesterday but was quickly receding.

“Venice is on its knees,” Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said on Twitter.

“St Mark’s Basilica has sustained serious damage like the entire city and its islands.” The head of the Venice hotel association said the damage was enormous, with many hotels losing electricity and lacking pumps to remove water.

Tourists with ground floor rooms had to be evacuated to higher floors as the waters rose Tuesday night, the association’s director Claudio Scarpa said.

Brugnaro blamed climate change for the “dramatic situation” and called for a speedy completion of a long-delayed project to construct offshore barriers.

(AP)