venice flooding
Venice has a history of flooding that goes back hundreds of years. [1]
“It’s an exceptional ‘acqua alta,’ and unless you absolutely have to, don’t go out,” Venice mayor Massimo Cacciari said in a statement. [2]
It will involve a series of huge, submerged gates that will rise out of the water and block the rising water from entering the lagoon and flooding the city. [1]
The sea level rose 1.56m above normal, meaning residents and tourists alike were wading through knee-high water around some of the city’s most famous sites, including St Mark’s Square. [2]
Most of the time, acqua alta is only a mild nuisance: You might have to sidestep a pond or two in the Piazza San Marco or avoid water that’s splashing onto a fondamenta, or sidewalk, along a canal. [...] Depending on the height of the acqua alta and where you are in the city, you could encounter flooding for several hours before and after the tidal maximum. [3]
Authorities had warned that the sea lapping at the lagoon city threatened to rise to 1.60 metres, a 30-year high mark, and warned residents and tourists to stay indoors. [2]
It is a city built on the water that has canals instead of roads and sits only centimeters above sea level in some places. [...] The MOSE construction project is designed to eliminate flooding in Venice when it is completed in 2012. [1]
The flooding also coincided with a weekend transport strike which affected the vaporetto ferries. [...] A change in the direction of the wind helped the “acqua alta” (high water) water start backing down from a high of 1.56 metres (5 feet, 2 inches), the tide monitoring centre said. [...] The city has for years been wrestling with the problems posed by the threat of rising sea levels. [2]
Another option is to buy rubber boots in Venice or acquire temporary plastic rain boots from souvenir stands and street vendors. [...] Such flooding can vary from a few centimeters to a major inundation like the one in the picture above. [3]
There will be a row of these gates at all three lagoon entry points and each one will be underwater, invisible until the threat of high water arises. [1]
Sources:
[1] Venice Flood Control - The MOSE Project (www.stormchaser.ca/Flooding/Venice/
[2] Venice hit by severe flooding (www.nowpublic.com/environment/
[3] Venice Flooding - Acqua Alta Tides (europeforvisitors.com/venice/