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Venice Mayor Declares Disaster as City Hit by 2nd Worst High Tide

Reuters

   VENICE, ITALY - Venice was hit by the second highest tide recorded in
   the lagoon city on Tuesday, which flooded its historic basilica and
   left many of its squares and alleyways deep underwater.

   Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said he would declare a state of disaster and
   warned of severe damage.

   City officials said the tide peaked at 187 cm (6.14 ft) at 10.50 p.m.
   (2150 GMT), just short of the record 194 cm set in 1966.

   "The situation is dramatic," Brugnaro said on Twitter. "We ask the
   government to help us. The cost will be high. This is the result of
   climate change."

   Saint Mark's Square was submerged by more than one meter (3.3 ft) of
   water, while the adjacent Saint Mark's Basilica was flooded for the
   sixth time in 1,200 years.

   Four of those inundations have now come in the last 20 years, most
   recently in October 2018. There was no immediate word on any damage
   inside the Church. In 2018, the administrator said the basilica had
   aged 20 years in a single day.

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