Worst flooding in Venice in 20 years

Venice has long had to deal with flooding but recent high tides have brought more water into the city than it has seen in two decades.

Locals and tourists were forced to wade through water that was knee-deep on Monday, in St Mark’s Square, where it’s not all that unusual, but also in the city’s alleyways and narrow streets. Merchandise was floating inside the shops that surround the square, due to one of the highest tides in the history of Venice.

The record tide brought the city to a standstill, and once again brought to the forefront the debate about installing moveable flood barriers to save the crumbling city from the devastating effects of flood waters.

Officials reported the tide’s peak at 156cm, well above the 110cm flood mark, with strong winds continuing to push sea water into the lagoon city.

Just past 6:30am local time, alarms were sounded to alert residents, who were taken by surprise, as the potential for such high flood levels had not been forecasted.

St Mark’s Square is one of the lowest-lying points in the city, and it saw tourists on top of tables trying to stay out of the rising water. A small speedboat was also seen crossing the square.

www.comune.venezia.it