Venetians are bracing for the prospect of another exceptional tide in a season that is setting records.
Officials are forecasting a 1.6 meter (5 feet, 2 inch) surge of water Sunday through the lagoon city. That comes after Tuesday’s 1.87-meter flood, the worst in 53 years, followed by high tide of 1.54 meters on Friday.
Those two events mark the first time since records began in 1872 that two floods topped 1.5 meters in the same year — much less the same week. The city’s mayor says the flooding damages are in “the hundreds of millions” and Italian officials have declared a state of emergency for the area.
The 'Bust of Leopoldo Cicognara' by Antonio Canova casts its shadow against a wall showing a dark stain indicating the level the water reached during the latest high tide flooding, at the Accademia Gallery, in Venice, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019. As high tidal waters returned to Venice on Saturday, four days after the city experienced its worst flooding in 50 years, young Venetians are responding to the worst flood in their lifetimes by volunteering to help salvage manuscripts, clear out waterlogged books and lend a hand where needed throughout the stricken city. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)
Tourists with suitcases were rushing to grab the last water taxis to get to the mainland Sunday before service is interrupted in anticipation of the high tide.
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