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| December 3, 2008 |
Venice under water
The recent "acqua alta" (high water) in Venice, Italy reached a depth of 1.56 meters (5 ft, 1 in.) on Monday - the deepest flood in 22 years, and the fourth highest flood level in recent history, claimed Venice's Tide Center. The water began to subside on Tuesday, while residents and tourists made their way through the city, hip-waders or not - one man even took the opportunity to ride his wakeboard through Piazza San Marco (until police stepped in). Although this flood was severe enough for the mayor to ask tourists to temporarily stay home, Venetian floods are fairly routine, several occurring every year, and residents usually take it all in stride. (25 photos total)
Tourists take photos of each other in the flooded Piazza San Marco in Venice December 1, 2008. Large parts of Venice were flooded on Monday as heavy rains and strong winds lashed the lagoon city, with sea levels at their highest level in 22 years. Ferry and water taxi services in the city were suspended and Venice's mayor urged people to stay indoors. Tourists and residents struggled to get across the city over raised walkways. The Centro Maree, which forecasts water levels, said sea levels in the Adriatic rose 1.56 meters (5.1 ft) - a level not seen since 1986. (REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri)
A woman waits for a boat during floods on December 1, 2008 in Venice. Authorities in the Italian city of Venice issued a flood alert, warning that the sea was due to rise 1.60 meters above its normal level, the highest for 30 years. Nearly all the streets of the city, including the central tourist district were already under water by mid-morning with the famous Piazza San Marco by 80 centimeters (two feet, seven inches). (ANDREA PATTARO/AFP PHOTO/AFP/Getty Images) #
More links and information
Floodwaters Begin to Recede in Venice - NYTimes.com 12/2
Acqua Alta - Wikipedia Entry
Venice, Italy - Google map
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@ people wondering about the risk of electrocution
There's little to worry about in this sense because of the sheer amount of water around to dissipate the energy. Have you ever been in a pool where the light at the deep end has a short? As you get closer to the light you can feel the electricity in the water, but does nothing other than feel weird. You only get a good jolt when you actually touch the light itself or get within a few inches or so of the source. In a smaller setting like a bathtub, there isn't nearly as much water around to take your place as the conductor, hence the danger.
la cagaton las fotoos!!!!!!!!!!!!1
We were there on December 1st and it wasn't bad at all. At least, next to Santa Lucia Station. We could have lunch at the end and go back through the roads without water.
chap on the wakeboard has the right idea - whoop!
These are interesting pics..... but we get to see such things every rains in Mumbai, India. It happens not only because of natural reasons, which surely is the reason for the flooding in Venice, but clogged drains.
You might get disgusted after reading this, but I'm writing out of frustration at the inability or plain indifference of our government to do anything right. I love my country, no doubt, but it's the politicians that get on my nerves. It's the famed patience of the Mumbai-kars that is slowly running out due to the recent incidents that have taken place here.
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Lovely pictures! yet the incident may not be lovely enough. I enjoyed the guy that was riding his wakeboard:)
beautiful photographs
j'adore leur façon de prendre ça, ils sourient, c'est magnifique!
what's pulling the wakeboarder?
hay que joderse
Just to say, your pictures are fantastic.
I'd love to be toasting glasses with these guys!
THEY ARE SO POSOTIF...........SO NICE
Un vero peccato che una città così bella sia destinata a soccombere alle acque se i governanti non prenderanno provvedimenti per salvarla. Speriamo bene..!
ciao
I'm from Italy, and although I am from the south I would like to address some of the issued raised by others in their posts. Cold: it can't be so cold when this happens, as one of the basic conditions for this to happen is when Sirocco wind blows hard, thus causing the Adriatic sea to enter into the Venetian lagoon and the tide to rise more than it usually does every day; Sirocco is notoriously a warm wind blowing from the north of Africa. Life going on as usual: that is because this IS usual for Venetians, even if not to such an extent. If you live on the landmark and work downtown Venice, like 90% of Venetians, the first thing you do on a rainy morning when Sirocco wind is expected is dialling a toll free number that tells you how many feet the tide is expected to rise above the usual level, so that you can make calculations on what part of the city centre will be underwater and by how many feet, and equip yourself accordingly. Remedies: this is a natural phenomenon, so there are two different attitudes to face it: one is "let's build a mechanic system to block the canals linking the Venetian lagoon to the sea when this occurs" and the other is "no way, as this would affect the biological equilibrium inside the lagoon and cause it to die". It is a very controversial issue :-)
Well, Venice is just a very special place: I just adore that city!
Rising sea levels thanks to global warming will be more and more common unless we start drastically changing our lives.
Italy I love you!!! And I very regret that you disappear from the face of earth.
por que esta asi venecia??? lluvias?
Incredible photo gallery! What strikes me is the joy on these peoples faces, the people at the food counter with waders on, the men drinking wine, the woman waiting for a boat on her cellphone. Then I think of the thousands of idiots in New Orleans during Katrina using it as an excuse to steal and loot the businesses in the very community they live in. The people not being prepared who stayed by owning waders in a high probability flood area. I also find it hard to believe that the people of Venice will be looking for government /tax payer funded assistance for the rest of their life because of this "tragedy".
Êðóòî!
I feel that people here are reacting to this the wrong way. Venice was built on water and flooding is a regular thing in Venice, it has always been a problem because the city is and has always been sinking. The problem is that in the past people just broke down the building and built new ones on top of the old. Now with the historic preservation of everything being undertaken that isn't happening anymore. Trying to save all of the old buildings is what is causing the problem to get worse year after year.
Aren't the canals horribly polluted, as famously evidenced by the Katherine Hepburn incident? Sure that was a long time ago, but unless they've cleaned it up since then then these people are essentially walking around in low-grade sewage.
That said, the guys in #17 are awesome!
People are talking how "if this happened in America..." Do they not remember that it already did happen in 2005 to Louisiana and Mississippi during Hurricane Katriana and again to Louisiana and Texas during Hurricane Rita? But, of course, the flood waters in many parts of Louisiana were higher than 5 feet.
there is no difference between mumbai 26th july water flooded in city and venice
i wonder how people enjoy even the flood. all pics r cool !!! photographers touch - thanks for sharing
When life gives you water, glide on it!!!
Tides are finicky things. There's more to it than just "high" and "low". It all depends on whether the sun and the moon are aligned in just the right spot and where that alignment intersects with the surface of the earth. This happens all the time in venice and in other parts around the world. Sometimes tides are just super powerful. Climate change has absolutely nothing to do with it.
Also, those saying that a North American city would be paralyzed by this have no idea what they are talking about. Regularly occurring tides are NOTHING compared to a powerful Hurricane.
WOOOW !!..IT IS SO BAD !!
the girl in the black pants in the first picture is HOT. Does anyone have her number?
ALL in ALL - Pictures are fantastic!!!!
I feel sorry for people who will have to rebuild or clean after that mess.
As a physics instructor and engineer I have studied much published data concerning our climate temperatures. I have also reviewed and analyzed many studies that have attempted to correlate climate change with human activity. At the end of the day: a) I can not confirm with any scientific and statistical certainty that the observed changes in the climate throughout the world are trending in one direction or the other and b) if they were, I can not affirm any significant cause other than natural cycles - which are not well understood within the scientific community. To me, statements correlating a flood in Venice with global warming reflect a society that worships a "cause" over critical thought.
I
UNA CITTA' CHE MUORE SFARINA COME NEVE AL SOLE OGNI BELLEZZA NEGLI OCCHI DI CHI VEDE LA STORIA LIQUEFARSI,A CIGLIA BASSE E CON ILCUORE BAGNATO DI SGOMENTO.
TENERSI A DISTANZA DALLA ROVINA IN SILENZIO E TESTIMONIARE L'IMPOTENZA DELL'UOMO ED IL CATTIVO GOVERNO DEI POLITICI ITALIANI
I'm so sad.
These pictures are so amazing and so wonderful 'cause we can see that peaople enjoy the moment as they could live it as drama, but they are smiling, happy and enjoying every moment! These are smart people and this is a smart photograph! Thank You Very Much!
What a great example of people who don't stop living there life just because it gets a little tough. Great photo's!
It seem that extreme engineering haven't work for so far.
Looks like Guetano Quintavalle has a job to finish.
And people still believe and argue the fact that global warming is not real... come on!
All the global warming - the ice is melting comments are hilarious.
Doesn't anyone actually look at reality? 2008 has seen more ice formation at the poles than in decades. Prodigious amounts of ice.
Oh well, people believe what they want despite facts. C'est la vie.
Hey John Adams--They're reporting that the ice at the North Pole is actually breaking apart for the first time. Shipping channels are opening up. How can you not be aware of this? Where do you get your information?
(Venice, Italy) The "sirens" for aqua alta, or high water, first went off this morning at around 7:30AM (I think). It's hard to tell because we have a new siren. It is three melodic, rising, harmonic tones, and sounds a little like Close Encounters of the Third Kind -- as if we should welcome the flooding waters with open arms. The old siren was frightening and insistent, like an air-raid siren warning of great danger to come. The Venetians did not dance to the music. As their years of hard labor were silently, slowly destroyed, the Venetians were furious.
http://venetiancat.blogspot.com
Venice is so beautiful. While it is undoubtedly a humorous sight to those not from Venice to see people going about their business or sitting at a table during a flood, it's understandable. I just hope that a solution to the problem can be found because it would be a shame for the world to one day lose a city like Venice.
Mamma mia that water is so disgustingly dirty. Those people walking in
+ the flooded shops it are going to be smelling for weeks.
Hmm .. the press appears to have been sucked in by a Red Bull promotion. That guy is wearing too many logos to be just a fan. They've hired him to board though the city while the world's press are taking these "Acqua alta" photos
How can u really think god is changing the earth. Mankind is just a spec on this world. There's no way we could cause global warming. Assume what you want, it's all god's work.
How can u really think humans' industry is changing the earth. Mankind is just a spec on this world. There's no way we could cause global warming. Assume what you want, it's all god's work.
This flooding in Venice is not due to "Global Warming", as some of these comments are saying. Venice floods like this on a regular basis. This is the highest flood in 30 years, true - but you know what that means? It flooded this much 30 years ago, as well! Further, Venice floods like this because it is sinking! In a hundred years, the Venice we know of will be entirely underwater, most likely... just like much of old Venice is already underwater. They just keep building up and up and up on top of the old city... as they've done for a long time.
And, none of that has to do with "Global Warming"... well, except for the global warming that started several thousand years ago when the glaciers began retreating. But, that has nothing to do with us humans.
Es una pena. Y pensar que algunos años mas estará asi todo el tiempo.
Y es tan linda y romantica.
Que pena no tener mucho dinero y poder verda en vivo y en directo.
Una verdadera pena.
to everyone saying global warming,. this happens all the time in Venice, are you all that freaking stupid? Geeze... it also says it all throught the posts and comments, ever ten years at least, and during high tides. What is with the herd of sheep, you are told global warming and then when ever anything happens... you start calling the sky is falling...
One of, if not, the world's greatest examples of why they should have listened to engineers. Building at low elevation on unstable ground (e.g. New Orleans), has always been advised against and too often the advice not taken. Pushing against physics is always a losing battle. Keep throwing money at it; that'll help...
We have a home in Italy and spend six months there; we love Venice but live in Umbria high on a hill. My wife and daughter have been there for the floods. In Umbria we have a latitude the same as Crater Lake, Oregon with the same type of snow, rain, sleet, and hail the size of golf balls. The "oldies" in our local villages and hamlets are well aware of the 'OLD' weather and swear nothing has change in 80 years ( the oldest resident is 92 so give her a 12 year old break). This warming crap is serious but humans are not the cause; maybe abeiting it but tell me why is the Martian polar ice cap receding? Are the SUV's on Mars belching?belchingmuch CO'
Nature rules. We can propose but God disposes. Look back what went wrong somehow and somewhere?
Sam #97 "The problem is that in the past people just broke down the building and built new ones on top of the old. " Nonsense. So St Mark's is a layer cake? What an ignorant American attitude, that "preserving all these old buildings" is the problem. Guess we should just tear the whole place down and put up some nice shiny skyscrapers. How can people be such thugs?
Anyway, it's not true that Venice has always been sinking to the extent it is now. Sinking got much worse with the growth of modern industry in the region , which sucked out groundwater, altering the soil characteristics. But sinking or not, the ongoing rise in sea levels is the biggest factor.
A question to the people from Venice. As a tourist I planned to visit Venice just before the Christmas. accordingly all the booking already done. Can anybody advice me what I shoud do? What is the prediction of the local authority? Is the airport functioning?
Jayanta Sanyal
Antwerp, Belgium
For your information we, in The Netherlands, for USA people better known as Holland, are living an average of 20 feet below sea-level. In my memory the Dutch offered their services of "Watermanagement" many, many years ago to the Italians in order to assist in protecting this treasure. Because it's not an Italian solution, offer was rejected. The solution they are building now was rejected by the experts for a similar problem in Rotterdam. See "Maeslantkering" under wikipedia. I think therefore it's funny that a Dutch boy has his pleasure on his wakeboard.
Sorry for the people in Venice and of course in New-Orleans. The are stuck to their Nationalistic thinking gouvernments.
Îõðåíåòü
I would stay in my hotel. My luck, I would step right off A dock. The people of Venice
are not taking this in stride, they know the water will go down and life will go on until the next time.
Good report! And good, well-wishing,friendly faces! It's very important, trust me! I WISH YOU LUCK FROM RUSSIA, VENICE!
The American must not think they're experts in water because they had one disaster in New Orleans. Italy and The Netherlands are experts. Almost every year the water goes a bit higher around december... They know what to do.
Nice pics of Duncan Zuur _0_
Greetz from holland
pfff.... The "Global warming" responses are unbelievable narrowminded. I hate the excuses americans make to be scared of everything. The only thing you people have to be scared of is the unstable economy your country has. Flooding is very nasty when you have to live in a tent..
And the comment about listening to engineers.. You do realise that Venezia is founded 400AD?? In that period the Europe landmass (also near venice) was a little different as well as the climate. And no, the change in climate (small ice age in the midages!) has nothing to do with "al gore's" Global warming.
I think its awesome what Duncan Zuur does, he dont botter people, so why not.
Amazing to me how so many people simply put on their boots and continue with their agendas, business as usual.
Jesus Bill its not like 1000's of people are dead and bodies are laying in the street rotting.
It's always nice to see a fellow from the Netherlands making us proud hehe, Holland_wakeboard has a point by the way, although he takes it to much to the extreme. I believe the Dutch are quite involved in the makings of the waterworks at New Orleans since the disaster. Some kind of copy of the Delta works in holland I suppose, which has been made since the major flood in the Netherlands (and other parts of Europe) in 1953. They actually think of a new project to protect the Netherlands from flooding again, as water levels have been rising, but it would then also be a prestige project to promote the Netherlands and it's experts in waterworks. hmm, perhaps I am even more nationalistic than I thought, although I tend to think of me as European citizen more and more as well. Good luck with reparing the city of Venice!
121.How can u really think humans' industry is changing the earth. Mankind is just a spec on this world. There's no way we could cause global warming. Assume what you want, it's all god's work.
Posted by Pithy SImms December 4, 08 08:39 PM
You are a fucking idiot!!!!!!
what's the water temperature there? it's winter and most are wearing winter clothes but they don't seem to freeze a lot even with the water up to the hips.
When NATURE STRIKES humans do not have a clue on how to respond be it be Mumbai,Venice or US.
It is best to respect NATURE and the laws set by it.
dont they get hypothermic?
To all the twits pooh-poohing global warming: Look at some aerial photos of Glacier National Park in Wyoming from, say, 30 years ago, and some from yesterday. The governor of Wyoming did a flyover with George Stephanopolous a few years back and nearly ALL of the glaciers that had been there for MILLIONS of years were gone. Go tell him he doesn't know what he's talking about. God's work? Which god--the one who's so omnipotent he can't seem to record "his" own "word" without the help of human hands and papyrus? Couldn't carve it into a mountainside or float huge burning letters in the sky, huh? Real scary dude...
Russian please!
Alot of people wonder why no one got electrocuted. I'll answer that quandary. The cabling and wiring systems there are highly insulated, as well as highly grounded due to the very nature of Venice. But add to the fact that, beside popular belief, electricity doesn't travel through water as is thought. In fact, water(h2o) does not conduct electricity. It is impurities that do so. The cleaner the water, the less it will travel. Add that into the amount of water, and the minute dispersion becomes negligible. Add also that the rubber on your shoes are also excellent resistors. The people are safe.
Oh you Dutch, always so arrogant. You built a few polders and now you think you're the smartest people on Earth. It's funny that every Dutch person has to start a sentence with "Well we in the Netherlands (that's Holland to you idiots), know soooo much more because... " It's like the whole country is suffering from small country syndrome. Hey Dutchies, get over yourselves!
me sorprendi mjucho al ver estas imágenes, wow!!!
HAHA, they are so cool with it.
must be soo stinky
It seems that venetians didn´t realize the serious situation they are to face.
THANX FOR CENSURE :(
ESTA CABRON LO QUE PASA EN VENECIA SALUDOS DESDE MEXICO DF
Y ECHELE GANAS POR AYA OK
LOL @ wakeboarder, dude's playin it off legit~
MMMMmmm can't wait for the delicious smell of receding sea water that has soaked into furniture and carpeting. Delicious.
How can this not be a sanitary nightmare for food shops and restaurants?
How come there aren't circuits blowing all over the place? I guess all the wiring is waterproofed because they anticipate things like this?
i m from italy :3
near venice too!
jeez. that's a lot of water, but i prefeer to stay in verona xD
Venice and its amazing people!
awesome
If this was in New Orleans, people would be blaming the gov't and demanding a bailout. I like the Italian way of handling a crisis better -- have a glass of wine and get on with life!
I have to laugh at these "Global Warming" idiots! No, it's rising waters which happens on a regular basis there. We had our first sowfall of over 8 inches just a few hours north of New York City back in October. Is that global warming too? If you think man can disrupt nature that much, you must have a pretty high regard for yourself.
Desde españa es una pena ver esto asi lo sentimos mucho
I am Italian American, born in Viecenza, not far from Venice. I was in Venice in July,
what a difference! The photos are beautiful, the city is awesome, the people are amazing and resilient! Thank you for capturing the all of those aspects and posting them. "Viva Venezia, Viva Italia! INCREDIBILE!
i bet the man with the wader store made a fortune :)
why the venetians dont rent boats to the tourist ?
they dont consider the rentability of the business ?
i desire good like for the new jobs for prevent this trouble
Even that whole situation is a little bit dangerous, that everything is beautiful, strange, dangerous but still beautiful.
This isn't a Red Bull promotion - Duncan Zuur is a professional rider and is sponsored by Red Bull, that's all. Great story, great photos. Thank you Luca Schillaci (#91) for the great explanation of why this happens - people, not everything that happens is Global Warming!
Venice in December is nothing like the Venice we visited in the summer of 1997!
We - Cheryl Evans, Karan Pitts, Travis Rodgers and his wife Jean took a train to Venice for the day and Cheryl did some watercolor painting while her brother drank wine and listened to the music. Jean and Karan did some shopping. We bought some Venitian artistc masks and some other wonderful things. We also took a tour of St. Marco's square and had dinner there. It was a grand time.
I love how they all have high waders....this is obviously not something new for the Venicians.
Global warming, give me a break!!!!!!
el mundo esta muy mal y es provocado x nosotros debemos hacer algo URGENTE!!
Venice is a beautiful place, but I want to say it may be nicer during a flood. When I was there it was ridiculously crowded. Even though you'd have to walk through water, at least you wouldn't crammed like sardines.
Its a shame that global warming could possibly make something like this permanent. We could lose so much beauty and art.
que pena que Venecia se encuentre así, a pesar de ser tan bella y ese espectáculo sea tan romantico, pero cuidence los venecianos,y le envio mis bendiciones para que Díos les cuide. Los Ama Victoria Fernández desde Venezuela
You bunch of unmitigated idiots, it is not global warming. It is sun and moon actions coupled with the fact that the city of Venice has been sinking into the mud for centuries...you can look it up. The earth is actually cooling again, contrary to media reporting. Anything to raise Chicken Little like reactions among those who flunked science.
esta cabronsisimo!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOW!!!! I think It's great the spirit that the Venetian people have!! I live in Italy and I can tell you that they are registered as beeing among the sunniest citizen from the country!! Isn't that strange? Anyway, congratulation! I supose is not easy to live with...
Does anyone else find it odd that a flood in Venice is news?