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(CNN) –
The number of people killed in weather-related incidents in Italy has increased by 11, announced Wednesday the country's civil protection agency, while officials from the city of Venice, a flooded lagoon, warned that the Salt water could have caused significant damage to historic sites.
Much of Venice was submerged by the waters on Monday after strong tides and the strong winds caused the worst flood of years, turning the vast expanse of St. Mark's Square into a lake and overflowing onto the marble floors of the St. Mark's Basilica.
"In a single day, the basilica is 20 years old, but it 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 floodwaters covered several tens of square meters of the 1,000-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, a-t -he declares.
The mosaic floor near the entrance to the basilica was under a water depth of up to 90 centimeters (35 inches) of water for 16 hours, which also soggy the monumental bronze doors, columns and marbles said Tesserin.
"The church has a structure made of bricks that, soaked in salt water, deteriorate even several meters in height, endangering the mosaics that decorate the vaults," he said.
When floodwaters rose Monday, reaching 156 centimeters (61 inches) above mean sea level at their peak, nearly three quarters of Venice were submerged. Elevated walkways have been built in front of the Doge's Palace and other parts of the city.
Tourists and locals sailed in water at waist level, while shops and restaurants were flooded with gates in front of the doors failing to keep the tide in check. Traders used buckets to remove water from their premises.
Tuesday's high tide peaked at 110 centimeters, a level that would flood at least 12% of the city. On Wednesday, the city authorities were waiting at a maximum of 90 centimeters, with a peak of 110 centimeters expected Thursday. Floods of at least 110 centimeters usually occur only four times a year. The highest record ever recorded was 194 centimeters in November 1966.
"Everything is under control, like last Friday," the mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, spokesman for the mayor's office in Venice, told CNN on Wednesday.
"Thanks to the preventive measures we have taken, the city is doing well, in the same way that a city can be in these conditions." The governor of the region, Luca Zaia, even claimed that these conditions were similar to those of 1966. "
Incomplete flood barrier project
This week's floods were caused by a seasonal high tide and a strong low-pressure system in southern Europe, which resulted in strong 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 spokeswoman for the Civil Protection Agency in Venice told CNN that the Moses system could have mitigated the impact of salt water on the city's historic sites.
"Of course, if the project of Moses was completed, the damage we see would not have happened," he said, "but the project was not completed because of the high cost."
The mayor's office spokesman called for the completion of the project. "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 Consortium of Venice, 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.
Storm damage
Other parts of northern Italy have also been hit by strong winds, heavy rains and severe thunderstorms this week.
According to civil protection, the regions of Liguria, Veneto, Trentino and Friuli Venezia Giulia were the most affected.
The popular seaside resort of Portofino, on the Ligurian coast, was left isolated after the destruction of the road connecting it to the nearby town of Rapallo, told CNN Jacopo Riccamboni of the press service of the city of Rapallo.
A yacht belonging to the family of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi moored in Rapallo was also damaged, he said. "We had a kind of tsunami, waves of eight meters, I have never seen such a thing here," he said.
"The yachts here were hitting the rocks near the harbor, rocking the ships, reversing the tables and the contents of the boat on the waterfront."
Rescuers also worked Wednesday to evacuate more than 190 people stranded by heavy snowfall at the Stelvio Pass in South Tyrol, the civil protection agency said.
An Albanian fisherman died in the Trentino-Alto Adige region after strong winds threw him into the water while he was trying to secure his boat on Lake Levico, announced the Agency on Wednesday.
Two young people died south of Rome when a tree hit their car, while another person was killed in the nearby town of Terracina while the winds had shot down dozens of pines.
Among the other victims, there was a 21-year-old man who had been struck by a falling tree while he was walking to Naples and a woman died after being struck by debris washed away by a building in the northern region. of Liguria.
A volunteer firefighter who was taking part in the emergency response in San Martino in Badia, in the north of the country, also reportedly succumbed.
