2LT International News

VENICE, Italy – Violent storms have continued to batter Italy for three days in a row, causing record-breaking floods that have submerged towns and cities, leaving about 75 percent of Venice underwater.

While several parts of the country have reported widespread damage, by Tuesday evening the death toll from the fierce winds, heavy rains and floods, rose to 11. 

Officials have stated that most of the deaths have been caused due to trees being uprooted and crashing down on pedestrians and vehicles.

The country is being lashed by record-breaking rainfall and strong winds of up to 150 km/h (90 mph). 

Liguria in the northwest was one of the hardest hit regions in the country and officials said that most of the fatalities were reported in Naples, Liguria, Lazio and Veneto.

By Tuesday evening, four more deaths were reported due to the bad weather, all occurring in different parts of northern Italy.

Heavy winds caused a windsurfer in Emilia-Romagna to smash into rocks, killing him instantly.

A woman was killed in Trento, after being buried under mud when a landslide invaded her home. 

In Alto-Adige’s Bolzano area, a firefighter was killed after a tree was uprooted by strong winds. 

Local authorities in Veneto reported the death of a 61-year-old man, whose body was found more than a kilometer away from his car, possibly swept away by the heavy winds and flood water.

Floods also wrecked several highways, forcing closures in some key parts of the country.  

A major European truck route in northern Italy – the Brenner Autobahn highway, which connects Italy’s Modena with Innsbruck in Austria, was forced to close temporarily after the heavy rains and floods caused a landslide. 

In Verona, officials heaved a sigh of relief after the Adige River – which runs through the city – rose by 2 meters (6 feet) but did not overflow.

Meanwhile, the storm caused severe damage at several ports in Rome, tearing boats from their moorings, while officials said that heavy winds had uprooted over 100 trees. 

The Colosseum and Roman Forum were among the major tourist attractions that were closed due to the adverse weather conditions in Rome.

‘Repairs to historic church impossible’

Meanwhile, officials in Venice said that the city is witnessing one of the worst floods in its history, pointing out that for the first time in a decade, flood waters have covered three-quarters of the city.

Luca Zaia, the regional governor of Veneto said that flooding this week was set to reach the levels of the devastating 1966 flood that struck both Venice and Florence.

Angelo Borrelli, chief of Civil Protection said, “It was the perfect storm during which adverse meteorological conditions contributed to the situation in the sea and winds.”

St. Mark’s Square in Venice, which is one of the city’s lowest points, remained submerged in water from the flood, for the second day in a row – inundating the historic St. Mark’s Basilica.

Experts quoted in local reports said that the violent weather this week has left the basilica seriously flooded – pointing out that the church has experienced such conditions only once before in the last 100 years.

They also added that the flood waters have now entered the body of the cathedral – making it the fifth most serious flood witnessed in the 924-year history of the St. Mark’s Basilica.

According to a report in the Italian News agency ANSA, the baptistery of the St. Mark’s Basilica was completely flooded with the water levels peaking at 156 cm (61 inches) and covering the historic, mosaic floors of the structure.

The report also said the bronze metal doors and columns of the church had suffered damages due to the floods.

Rome’s top official in Venice, Fabio Carapezza Guttuso said in a statement that Italian cultural officials were due to arrive in Venice to inspect the damage.

Meanwhile, Carlo Alberto Tesserin, who is charged with the preservation of the St. Mark’s Basilica as its First Procurator, pointed out that many parts of the building had remained under water for over 16 hours.

Lamenting the damages, Tesserin said that the main entrance of the basilica, which is opposite the main altar, was submerged underwater for several hours.

Tesserin was quoted as saying, “The basilica has aged 20 years in just one day, and perhaps I am being overly optimistic about that. It is becoming ever more difficult for us and indeed could become impossible for us to repair the damage, especially in an age of climate change.”

Floodwaters in the San Marco area of the city damaged two paintings by the Spanish artist Joan Miro inside the fourteenth-century Venetian palace, Palazzo Zaguri.

Officials in Italy have said that close to 6,000 firefighters have been dispatched to clear debris from roadways across the country. 

Further, in several parts of the country, schools have been ordered to close as a precautionary measure, for two days.