Flood-hit Venice faces high tide again, while Oz braces for deadlier bushfires
NEWDELHI/VENICE/MELBOURNE: Blame it on climate change or just freak weather phenomena, Italy and Australia continue to feel the wrath of nature’s fury.
In a case remarkable contrasts, the Italian city of Venice a world heritage site - has been deluged by an unusually massive tide that refuses to die down for good. Australia, on the other hand - especially NSW and Queensland - is literally feeling the heat as the ongoing bushfires (about 120 of them) are threatening to get worse due to a heat wave that’s on the cards.
Venice braced for another harrowing day on Friday as the lagoon city struggled with the wreckage left by the biggest surge of flood waters in 50 years earlier this week. Authorities were fearing waters could rise again and peak at 160cm - past the emergency level that sets off sirens in the streets.
“Another day of alert for Venice. The sirocco wind keeps blowing. I invite all... to keep yourselves updated on the level of the water,” mayor Luigi Brugnaro tweeted, according to media reports.
Brugnaro blamed climate change when flood waters swept through the city on Wednesday, swamping its historic basilica and inundating squares and centuries-old buildings.
The national government declared a state of emergency for Venice on Thursday and allocated an initial $22 million to address the damage.
Australia braces for heavy winds, lightning amid bushfire threat
Australia, meanwhile, braced for strong winds that began to whip up bushfires in two states, potentially adding to a toll of more than 270 homes destroyed and 2.5 million acres of land ravaged during the past week. The country’s weather bureau warned that winds and lightning strikes increase the threat to communities across two states on the country’s east coast.