Rome, Aug. 29, (dpa/GNA) – The Floating City of Venice has activated its floodgate systems as heavy thunderstorms, rain, hail and strong winds battered the north of Italy on Monday.
The regions of Lombardy, which is home to business hub Milan, as well as Liguria and Piedmont were the worst hit.
The storms caused chaos in some regions – resulting in minor flooding and landslides as well as power outages.
Venice authorities said they were bracing for water levels to reach a level 1 metre higher than usual on Monday evening. The city’s innovative flood system, known as MOSE, consists of yellow gates installed at three entrances to the lagoon. It has been in operation since 2020.
The system with yellow gates installed at three entrances to the lagoon has been in operation since 2020.
Especially in the autumn months, when rain and storms cause water levels to rise, Venice uses the billion-dollar structure, which has spared the UNESCO World Heritage city major floods since.
The city’s mosaics and frescos on churches are especially threatened by the sea water.
The last major flood took place in 2019, when the water rose to 187 centimetres above the normal levels.
The historic flood of the century in Venice dates back to 1966, when the water rose to 194 centimetres.
According to a post from the Italian Civil Protection on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter, some areas like Lombardy, declared a red alert for Tuesday.
Other areas in the north of the country are on orange alert.
GNA