November 13, 2019

"Tourists floated suitcases through St. Mark’s Square, where officials removed walkways to prevent them from floating away."

"The water was so high that nothing less than thigh-high boots afforded protection. Water poured through wooden boards that shop and hotel owners have placed in front of doors during previous floods to hold back water. Tourists on the ground floor of hotels were forced to move to upper floors overnight. One man was filmed swimming bare-chested in St. Mark’s Square at what appeared to be the height of the flood. 'I have often seen St. Mark’s Square covered with water,' Venice’s patriarch, Monsignor Francesco Moraglia, told reporters. 'Yesterday there were waves that seemed to be the seashore.'"

From "Venice ‘on its knees’ after second-worst flood ever recorded" (AP).

30 comments:

Chris said...

Build a city at sea level, then complain about flooding. Right. Subsidence anyone?

rehajm said...

Acqua Alta happens 100 days a year. Sometimes the winds and the tides line up for extremes but lets blame 'climate change' of course...

Michael K said...

My practice partner checked into his hotel in Venice once while standing on one of the wooden walkways that were about 3 feet above the floor. The hotel clerk stood in hip boots with water up to his hips. This is nothing new.

gahrie said...

Venice has literally been sinking into the sea for centuries.

BarrySanders20 said...

Was there in April. Neat place, like an adult Disney World, and was drier then. “To build a city where it is impossible to build a city is madness in itself, but to build there one of the most elegant and grandest of cities is the madness of genius.”

Clyde said...

Venice is the New Orleans of Europe. It's been sinking into the swamps for centuries. Of course it's going to flood.

tim maguire said...

It hasn't set a record in half a century (and for just how long have they been keeping records? If the article said, I missed it). This despite the fact that the city is sinking.

but sure, let's blame climate change and then tell ourselves the skeptics are stupid or corrupt.

Michael K said...

To build a city where it is impossible to build a city is madness in itself,

They were fleeing Visigoths. It made sense at the time.

tcrosse said...

St Greta, pray for us.

rcocean said...

"Tourists floated suitcases through St. Mark’s Square,"

What does this mean? Tourists had empty suitcases and had fun "floating them"? Why would anyone do that?

rcocean said...

Of climate Change is to blame. Unlike 1966, when it wasn't to blame.

JAORE said...

Was there a month ago. Beautiful place.

If the AGW computers predicted drought in Venice,this would be a weather phenomenon.

rcocean said...

Venice has been sinking a little, but they've had to deal with flooding for 500 years. I think they should be good at dealing with it by now.

rcocean said...

Until Trollys, buses, and subways came along, getting around by boat was the best way to transport goods and people. Plus, as stated above, being on island is an excellent way to defend against invading armies.

Darrell said...

Only Greta can save them. A fifty-foot-high mural NOW!

rcocean said...

A fifty-foot-high mural NOW!

That floats.

rcocean said...

We had been planning to go to Venice and Italy, but wanted to go in Winter to avoid some of the crowds. Looks like we'll have to check the weather forecast, next year.

Original Mike said...

Clearly, we should all go back to living in caves to help out one poorly sited city.

Temujin said...

It's been hundreds of years in the making. That Venice is sinking is not news. That we get to fit it into today's narrative, that's news.

Heartless Aztec said...

Just got back from a month in Venice. They already had all the walkway scaffolding out ready to be erected.
At least it cuts down on the number of cruise ship tourist suffocating the place.

Nichevo said...

Wonder how it smelled.

madAsHell said...

Wonder how it smelled.

I can't believe the guy went swimming in St. Marks Square.

Guess what, Fauxcahauntus!! I don't wanna pay for this guys health insurance.

JML said...

Blogger rcocean said...
We had been planning to go to Venice and Italy, but wanted to go in Winter to avoid some of the crowds. Looks like we'll have to check the weather forecast, next year.

Went there mid oct. Great time Not as crowded.

dbp said...

As the article noted, this is a 50 year record high sea level--caused, of course by global warming--no explanation given for a 7 cm higher level in 1966.

chickelit said...

Is the answer a direct subsidy to each and every Venetian resident paid for by oil companies?

I'm so old that I can remember when they said that Venice was slowly sinking without any mention of sea levels rising. Did the sinking stop?

Fernandinande said...

Same story a year ago:

Worst Floods in a Decade Swamp Three-Quarters of the [Venice]
10/30/18
"Venice has a plan, nicknamed Project Moses... has lagged amid spiraling costs and corruption."

"suggested flooding could yet get worse, and maybe even reach the levels seen in the infamous 1966 events"

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

if the Mocha Messiah couldnt lower the sea levels

...forget a second-stringer like St. Gretard

crescentcityconnection said...

George Soros should immediately fly St. Greta to Venice on one of his private jets so she can fix that paralyzing stare on the tides and issue her command that they fall.

Bill Befort said...

I distinctly remember reading about this in My Weekly Reader when I was in fourth grade, which would have been in fall/winter of 1950.

James K said...

Needless to say, a once-in-50-year flood is not evidence of climate change or rising sea levels. Permanent flooding might be, were it not for the fact that it would be only happening in Venice, which also happens to be sinking.