Flooded by the floods for a week, Venice has again suffered a high tide, Sunday, November 17, but of lesser magnitude. Alerts were also issued for the cities of Florence and Pisa, because of the unrelenting rains that hit Italy.
The "acqua alta", or high tide, rose to 1.50m Sunday, far behind the peak of 1.87 m Tuesday that hit the "Serenissima", flooded since, and whose images have made the world Tour.
>> To read also: Always feet in the water, Venice confronts a new high tide
"The water has stopped rising," tweeted the mayor of Venice Luigi Brugnaro. "150 cm high ... The Venetians are on their knees only when they pray, Venice will go back," he also wrote.
The acqua ha finito di crescere. Picco at 150cm in Punta della Salute. I #veneti e #veneziani sono in ginocchio solo wheno pregano. #Venezia if sta dando da fare per ripartire. pic.twitter.com/C5i0ORbdOB
Luigi Brugnaro (@LuigiBrugnaro) November 17, 2019Florence and Pisa on alert
The weather forecasts predict tides not exceeding 110 cm for the coming days, which should allow the lake city to assess the damage, already estimated by the mayor to more than a billion euros . The iconic Saint Mark's Square was reopened at the end of the day on Sunday.
Further south, in Tuscany, two other Italian jewels, Florence and Pisa, were placed on high alert because of the threat of water. The president of the Tuscany region, Enrico Rossi confirmed the risk of overflowing of the river Arno and indicated that pontoons had been installed on the banks in Pisa "as a precaution".
More than 50 damaged churches
The Italian army has tweeted photos of soldiers consolidating the banks of the Arno, which also crosses Florence, and whose waters have dangerously mounted in the night from Saturday to Sunday. The Italian civil protection advised the inhabitants not to approach the banks of the river.
Since Tuesday in Venice, more than 50 churches have been damaged, including St. Mark's Basilica, shops and mansions flooded. Hotels are also beginning to regret cancellations for the end of year celebrations. Venice, with 50,000 inhabitants, receives 36 million tourists a year, 90% of whom are foreigners.
Unblocked help
Residents whose homes have been damaged can apply for immediate government assistance of 5,000 euros, and traders can receive up to 20,000 euros.
Thursday evening, the government of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte had approved the establishment of the state of emergency in Venice and announced the release of 20 million euros "for the most urgent interventions".
With AFP