The areas hit by floods in Veneto

The islands of the Venetian lagoon and large areas of the Venetian coast have been submerged by at least one meter of water due to the floods caused by bad weather in the last two days. On the night between Tuesday and Wednesday the rains, the strong sirocco and high tide rapidly raised the waters of the lagoon to exceptional levels, which then did not fall sufficiently also due to the swelling of the Adriatic Sea, sustained from the simultaneous floods of the rivers that flow around the lagoon. On Thursday the wind weakened and the tide subsided everywhere, but in the evening it could return to above 120 centimeters above sea level.

The floods completely submerged Chioggia and the city of Venice with a peak of 187 centimeters high water, the highest recorded by the famous flood of 1966. The municipality of Venice has ordered the closure of all schools, the entire system of public navigation was interrupted and a state of emergency was requested. The President of the Council Giuseppe Conte, in Venice for two days, said that on Thursday he will take charge of the request, in addition to allocating the first funds for the interventions. The so-called "Comitatone" for the safeguarding of Venice was convened on November 26 to accelerate the structural solution to the problems.

As long as the water does not withdraw completely, the damage cannot be calculated exactly, but the estimates have already begun. Across Venice, water has passed the protective barriers installed at the entrances to shops and homes; where the barriers worked because they were higher, the water entered the ground floors of many buildings through pipes and sanitary ware. There have been faults in telephone lines, electrical systems and boats, which the wind and the tide have pushed out of the canals and transported over the foundations at various points in the city.

There was a fire inside the Ca ’Pesaro palace, on the Grand Canal, which houses the International Gallery of Modern Art and the Museum of Oriental Art. There was damage to the Basilica of San Marco – located at the lowest point of Venice – and to the La Fenice theater: the crypt of San Marco was flooded and the water inside the basilica exceeded one meter in height, while the service areas were invaded in the theater. Many other damages are still estimated to be quantified in palaces, museums, foundations, libraries and commercial activities.

In the lagoon, on the other hand, the waves of the Adriatic have crossed the walls of the island of Pellestrina, that is, the dams built to protect the Lido and the islands from the sea. To the north-east of Venice the storm was so violent that it destroyed the beaches and bathing facilities of the Jesolo coast and the towns of Porto Santa Margherita, Eraclea, Caorle, Bibione and Lignano. The waves reached Piazza Mazzini, the center of Lido di Jesolo, and the main square of Caorle.

In Friuli Venezia Giulia, the lower areas of the center of Trieste have been submerged, as have the neighboring towns, while at Grado there is no electricity and the schools have been closed. In southern Veneto, in the province of Rovigo, the fishing and breeding area known as the Sacca degli Scardovari was badly damaged.

On Wednesday night, the mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, said at a press conference: "It's a tragedy, we'll understand as the accounts arrive. From here we must start again, finding solutions and remaining united ». He also asked for the appointment of a commissioner to finish MOSE's latest work – the imposing structure under construction for over fifteen years that should repair the city from the high tide – to accelerate its entry into operation, now scheduled towards the end of 2021.

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