Thursday, December 4, 2008

Floods

This is why I convinced Joe to see Venice in May and not our usual fall/winter vacation. I can't imagine wading though this water with suitcases and a dog.


Piazza San Marco

By the Rialto bridge.  


Venice has suffered its worst flooding in 22 years, leaving some parts of the historic Italian city neck-deep in water, reports said Monday.
Water burst the banks of the coastal city's famed canals, leaving the landmark Piazza San Marco -- St Mark's Square -- under almost a meter of water at one point, news agency ANSA reported.
Strong winds pushed waters to a high of 1.56 meters (5 feet 2 inches) at 10:45 a.m. local time, prompting the city government to issue warnings to the public, the agency said.
The flood level began to drop soon afterwards, prompted by a change in the direction of the wind.
Previous highs include 1.58 meters in 1986 and 1.66 meters in 1979, the news agency said.

More photos at CNN.  
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/12/01/venice.floods/index.html?iref=24hours#cnnSTCPhoto