[ad_1]
The death toll in Italy rose to 17 after a week of severe weather and floods in the country, according to the Italian Civil Protection Agency.
The onslaught of strong winds and heavy rains last week devastated parts of Italy and caused the worst floods Venice has seen in at least a decade.
In the northern region of Veneto, the damage is estimated at more than one billion euros and several villages were cut as a result of landslides.
The weather has also changed the environment. Dozens of hectares of forest were destroyed, including the famous "forest of violin", decimated after winds reaching 190 km / h.
Roberto Ciambetti, president of the regional council of Veneto, told CNN that nearly 300,000 trees had been razed by the winds sweeping the Val d'Assa on the Asiago plateau.
"Tens of thousands of big trees have been cut down like toothpicks," he said.
The fierce winds brought the high tide to 156 centimeters (61 inches) above mean sea level on Monday – one of the highest levels ever recorded. He left three quarters of Venice submerged.
St. Mark's Square was turned into a lake and the floodwaters spread over the old marble floors of St. Mark's Basilica.
"In a single day, the basilica is 20 years old, but that may be an optimistic consideration," said Carlo Alberto Tesserin, chairman of the board of directors responsible for St. Mark's Basilica, in a statement.
The flood waters also covered several tens of square meters of the 1000-year-old marble pavement located in front of the altar of the Madonna Nicopeia, an icon of the twelfth century, and submerged the baptistery and the Zen chapel, Tesserin said. .
Incomplete flood barrier project
This week's floods were caused by a seasonal high tide and a severe low in southern Europe, which caused violent southerly winds and propelled the waters of the Adriatic Sea to Venice. It is the peak period of the year for the seasonal floods known as acqua alta, or high water, in the city.
Floods at high tide have become much more common in Venice due to climate change – a problem that will continue to worsen as the sea rises due to rising temperatures and melting glaciers, according to the reports. meteorologists from CNN.
The work of installing innovative flood barriers to protect Venice from severe flooding, known as the Moses Project, has been ongoing for years. However, it has not been completed yet, partly because of corruption and soaring costs.
A spokesperson for the Civil Protection Agency in Venice told CNN that the Moses system could have mitigated the effects of salt water on the city's historic sites.
"Of course, if the project of Moses was completed, the damage we see now would not have occurred," he said, "but the project was not completed because of the high cost ".
The spokesman for the mayor's office requested that the project be completed. "The project of Moses is important for the Venetians," he said. "This infrastructure must be completed to avoid extraordinary waters, like what happened Monday."
A spokeswoman for the new Venice Consortium, responsible for the Moses system, told CNN: "Work on the Moses began in 2003. It is currently 92-93%."
Venice has also set up a system to monitor the tides and warn of high water levels.
41.871940
12.567380
