Yet more floods – New York, Southern India and now Vencie, Italy
High
tide floods Venice
Water
levels rose to critical levels overnight in Venice, as a high tide
forced tourists to wait it out in knee-deep water. The city was put
on high alert as water was not expected to recede for at least 15
hours.
RT,
1
November, 2012
Over
half the city was flooded, with water reaching above 140cm, making it
the highest tide since December 2010.
Chioggia,
a town on the southern edge of the Venice lagoon, was the worst hit,
with water levels reaching 160cm.
The
flood was caused by wind and rain combined with periodic tidal
phenomenon unique to the region, AFP reported.
Venice
was built on hundreds of small islands and often experiences high
water levels in autumn and winter.
Venice
usually starts flooding when water levels reach 110cm, then when the
levels rise beyond 140cms, 58 per cent of the city goes underwater.
Italian
authorities are aware of the problem and have begun to build a dam
system, the MOSE, which will prevent the water levels to go beyond
110cm.
The
dam costs US$7.9 billion and is scheduled for completion in 2014.
However, recent austerity measures in Italy are making this hefty
price tag burdensome.
Reuters / Stringer Italy
Reuters / Stringer Italy
AFP Photo / Olivier Morin
AFP Photo / Olivier Morin
AFP Photo / Olivier Morin
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