Venice is not finished with its terrible floods. The city of the Doges lived, Saturday, November 16, a new weather alert. The Italian Civil Protection has issued for this day a "red alert" meteorological for the entire region of Venice, warning of the risk of high winds.
A new blow for the "Serenissima", whose mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, had already been forced Friday to order the closure of the famous St. Mark's Square for several hours before lifting this measure in the afternoon, at when the water level dropped. The "acqua alta", or high tide, reached Friday 1.54 meters.
Tuesday night, Venice had its worst high tide in 53 years (1.87 m, the second historic record behind that of November 4, 1966 with 1.94 m). Water has invaded the churches, shops, museums and hotels of this world heritage jewel.
Cancellations in shambles
Like many cultural institutions, the Guggenheim Museum planned to reopen Friday but changed its mind "due to worsening weather conditions". The Italian Minister of Culture, Dario Franceschini, went Friday to see the damage on the spot, believes that the repair work will be considerable. More than 50 churches were damaged, he noted.
While Venice receives 36 million tourists a year, 90% of whom are foreigners, hotels are beginning to regret cancellations for the end of the year celebrations.
The mayor of Venice announced Friday the opening of a bank account for all those who, in Italy and abroad, wish to contribute to the repairs. "Venice, a unique place, is everyone's legacy, and with your help, Venice will shine again," he wrote in a statement.
An emergency fund
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".
This state of emergency procedure, often used in an Italy regularly hit by disasters (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and landslides), endows the government with "exceptional powers and means".
Most visitors are unaware of the risk of engulfing the city, built on 118 islands and islets mostly artificial and on stilts. It has sunk 30 cm into the Adriatic Sea in a century. For the Minister of the Environment, Sergio Costa, the fragility of Venice has increased because of the "tropicalisation" of the weather, with intense rainfall and strong gusts of wind, linked to global warming. Ecologists also point to the expansion of the large industrial port of Marghera, located opposite Venice, and the parade of giant cruise ships.
Many officials, including the mayor of the city, have called for putting into operation "as soon as possible" the dike project Mose (Moses in Italian, acronym for Experimental Module Electromechanical). Launched in 2003 and delayed by poor workmanship and corruption investigations, Moses relies on 78 floating dikes that rise and block the access to the lagoon in case of rising waters of the Adriatic up to three meters in height . Recent tests have identified vibrations and rust but, according to Giuseppe Conte, it is "ready to 93%" and will be "completed in spring 2021".
With AFP