Historic flooding in Venice highlights city’s vulnerability

VENICE, Italy — The historic lagoon city of Venice exists on the edge of a double threat: As it sinks, the seas rise.

That reality became more stark this week when Venice was hit with its worst flood in more than 50 years, caused by a nearly 6-foot tide that sent waist-high water flowing through St. Mark’s Square, cast the city’s world-famous gondolas onto walkways, and threatened its medieval, Baroque and Renaissance art and architecture.

Damage to the City of Canals from the second-worst flood ever recorded was put at hundreds of millions of euros.

Against the backdrop of the disaster, a corruption-riddled underwater barrier system that was supposed to protect the city still is not operational after more than 16 years of construction and at least 5 billion euros of public funds. It was supposed to be working by 2011.

“It has been a generation of panels and engineers that have been working on it. No one can actually tell if it will actually be operational,” said Mechtild Rossler, director of the UNESCO World Heritage Center in Paris, which lists Venice as one of its legally protected World Heritage sites because of its cultural and historical significance.

Called Moses — from the Italian acronym for experimental electromechanical modules, but also a nod to the biblical figure who parted the Red Sea — the system of 78 underwater barriers is designed to be raised as needed to block openings to the lagoon and hold back tides of 1.1 to 3 meters.

That would still leave exposed the lowest areas of the city, or about 12 percent of its area, including St. Mark’s Square.

Though nearly completed, the project still has not been even partially tested, and some parts have already started to corrode. It has also been marked by bribery scandals and overruns. Its initial costs were projected at 1.6 billion euros.

Even with the emergency, Moses won’t be operational before the end of next year.

At the same time, the threats to the city of a quarter-million people are growing.

ANDREA MEROLA / ANSA VIA AP A woman tries to cross a flooded street as people walk on a trestle bridge during high water, in Venice, northern Italy, Friday. Exceptionally high tidal waters returned to Venice on Friday, prompting the mayor to close the iconic St. Mark’s Square and call for donations to repair the Italian lagoon city just three days after it experienced its worst flooding in 50 years.