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Agence France-Presse

Authorities in Venice have issued their highest weather warning for Sunday, when waters in the Italian lagoon city are expected to reach 160 centimetres above the normal level by noon.
The forecast means that vast parts of the popular tourist city are once again expected to be submerged in water.
The weekend was expected to bring little respite after days of severe flooding, and more bad weather is forecast for next week.
Mayor Luigi Brugnaro ordered the iconic St Mark’s Square closed on Friday as the latest sea surge struck with strong storms and winds battering the region.

Churches, shops and homes in the city, a Unesco World Heritage Site, have been inundated by unusually intense “acqua alta”, or high water, which on Tuesday hit its highest level in half a century.
“We’ve destroyed Venice, we’re talking about 1 billion euros in damage and that’s just from the other day, not today,” Brugnaro said.
The crisis has prompted the government to release 20 million euros (US$22 million) in funds to tackle the devastation.

Surveying the damage, Culture Minister Dario Franceschini warned the task of repairing the city would be huge. More than 50 churches had suffered damage, he said.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte declared a state of emergency for the city on Thursday.
Residents whose houses have been hit are eligible for up to 5,000 euros in immediate government aid, while restaurant and shop owners can receive up to 20,000 euros and apply for more later.

Mayor Brugnaro on Friday also announced the opening of a fund where people in Italy and around the world could contribute to the historic city’s repair.
One tourist, Italian Nicole Righetti, said she would be willing to pitch in.
“It would be a shame to no longer be able to see these places, and I think everyone should give,” Righetti said.

Most of the city’s cash machines were no longer working because of the water, making life even more difficult for tourists and Venetians.
Despite being used to the inconvenience of their city’s rising waters, some inhabitants expressed frustration.
“All the stock in the basement is lost,” lamented Luciano, a worker at a shop along St. Mark’s Square.

He said he remembered well the infamous “acqua alta” of 1966, when the water rose to a level of 1.94 metres, the highest since records began in 1923.
“These so frequent high waters have never happened before … this time there’s so much more damage than in the past,” he said.
Hotels reported cancelled reservations, some as far ahead as December, following the widespread diffusion of images of Venice underwater.

Tuesday’s high waters submerged around 80 per cent of the city, officials said.
Many, including Venice’s mayor, have blamed the disaster on global warming and warned that the country prone to natural disasters must wake up to the risks posed by ever more volatile seasons.
The Serenissima, as the floating city is called, is home to 50,000 residents but receives 36 million visitors each year.
A massive infrastructure project called MOSE has been under way since 2003 to protect the city, but it has been plagued by cost overruns, corruption scandals and delays.
Additional reporting by dpa


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Italy

No respite for flooded Venice as city issues highest weather warning

People walk across the flooded St Mark’s Square by St Mark’s Basilica in Venice. Photo: AFP

Damaged books are piled outside renowned bookstore "Acqua Alta" (High Water) as volunteers help cleaning after flooding in Venice, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019. High tidal waters returned to Venice on Saturday, four days after the city experienced its worst flooding in 50 years. Young Venetians are responding to the worst flood in their lifetimes by volunteering to help salvage manuscripts, clear out waterlogged books and lend a hand where needed throughout the stricken city.(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Music books are placed to dry at the first floor of Venice Conservatory after being recovered from ground floor, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019. High tidal waters returned to Venice on Saturday, four days after the city experienced its worst flooding in 50 years. Young Venetians are responding to the worst flood in their lifetimes by volunteering to help salvage manuscripts, clear out waterlogged books and lend a hand where needed throughout the stricken city.(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

People walk in the flooded street near Rialto bridge, on November 15, 2019 in Venice, two days after the city suffered its highest tide in 50 years. - Flood-hit Venice was bracing for another exceptional high tide on November 15, as Italy declared a state of emergency for the UNESCO city where perilous deluges have caused millions of euros worth of damage. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

A woman wipes out water from her store near Rialto Bridge, on November 15, 2019 in Venice, two days after the city suffered its highest tide in 50 years. - Flood-hit Venice was bracing for another exceptional high tide on November 15, as Italy declared a state of emergency for the UNESCO city where perilous deluges have caused millions of euros worth of damage. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

A general view shows the flooded St. Mark's Square, with St. Mark's Basilica (Rear L) and the Bell Tower on November 15, 2019 in Venice, two days after the city suffered its highest tide in 50 years. - Flood-hit Venice was bracing for another exceptional high tide on November 15, as Italy declared a state of emergency for the UNESCO city where perilous deluges have caused millions of euros worth of damage. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

Ac Milan's goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma walks in St. Mark square on November 16, 2019 in Venice, three days after the city suffered the highest tide in 50 years. - Flood-hit Venice was bracing for another exceptional high tide on November 15, as Italy declared a state of emergency for the UNESCO city where perilous deluges have caused millions of euros worth of damage. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

Italy’s city of canals Venice faces more floods as state of emergency declared

A tourist woman walks across the flooded San Marco Square in Venice. Photo: Xinhua

An employee of a take-away food shop mops the floors while talking on the phone in an arcade of the flooded St. Mark's Square on November 14, 2019 in Venice. (Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images/TNS)

A man carries a woman on his back through the flooded St. Mark's Square during a period of seasonal high water in Venice, Italy, November 14, 2019. REUTERS/Flavio Lo Scalzo TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Venice ‘on its knees’ after worst flooding in more than 50 years

People wade through water in a flooded St. Mark’s Square in Venice, Italy on Wednesday. Photo: AP

epa07993517 A clean up efforts in the historical Florian cafe in San Marco square, damaged by bad weather in Venice, northern Italy, 13 November 2019. A wave of bad weather has hit much of Italy on 12 November. Levels of 100-120cm above sea level are fairly common in the lagoon city and Venice is well-equipped to cope with its rafts of pontoon walkways. EPA-EFE/ANDREA MEROLA

epa07993122 An overview of the narthex of the Basilica of San Marco, damaged by flooding in Venice, northern Italy, 13 November 2019. A wave of bad weather has hit much of Italy on 12 November. Levels of 100-120cm above sea level are fairly common in the lagoon city and Venice is well-equipped to cope with its rafts of pontoon walkways. EPA-EFE/ANDREA MEROLA

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The forecast means that vast parts of the popular tourist city are once again expected to be submerged in water



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No respite for flooded Venice as city issues highest weather warning

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} The forecast means that vast parts of the popular tourist city are once again expected to be submerged in water

The forecast means that vast parts of the popular tourist city are once again expected to be submerged in water