Venice is regularly underwater. It floods often – as much as sixty times per year. However, on Monday, December 1st, the city experienced its deepest flooding in 22 years – submerging most streets.
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Sirens alerted the residents to the coming water. Normally, wooden walkways are raised throughout the city during the frequent floods. This time, the water rose too fast for that to be feasible.
Mayor Massimo Cacciari asked tourists to stay away and residents to stay home. Transportation services were suspended. By Tuesday, the water was subsiding and transportation started to resume.
The water entered many buildings within the city. People are worried about damage to historic architecture. No buildings collapsed, but we won’t know the full amount of damage until a full survey is conducted.
The city is working on a controversial flood barrier system called Moses. It consists of a series of giant steel gates that will be raised to lessen the severity of flooding. Environmentalists are concerned about the project’s effect on wildlife habitat. Many others are worried about the cost and the political maneuvering behind it. Some don’t think it will work at all. However, it is still a few years away from completion.
You can see some great pictures of the flood on The Boston Globe.
You can still enjoy an amazing Venice City Break and take advantage of the Venice restaurants so don’t be put off …