Photo: MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images In the last 48 hours, flooding has sunk the floating city of Venice in over six feet of water. Greenish-gray seawater has permanently damaged some of the city’s oldest and most precious historical sites, including St. Marks Basilica and La Fenice Opera House. Two people have died while attempting to pump water from their homes.
Italians have a term for unusually high waters in Venice: acqua alta. Flooding there is a phenomenon as old as the city, which is comprised of 118 islands connected by bridges in a low-lying lagoon; this week’s tide is the second-highest in recorded history. But there has been an undeniable increase in storm surges in the last few decades. Of the top ten tides, per the BBC, five have occurred in the past 20 years, and the most recent acqua alta was only one year ago.
Low-lying coastal areas on islands and atolls are most at risk from rising sea levels, according to the IPCC. Many of these places are already plagued by poverty — the United States saw how economic austerity and suffering in Puerto Rico was exacerbated by Hurricane Maria in 2018. Photos from Venice have gone viral for the opposite reason: the city is an iconic center of wealth, its piazzas, palaces, and canals known around the world as symbols of conquest and prosperity.
fbarrrrbosa
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: BuzzFeed - 🏆 730. / 51 Read more »
Source: Women's Health - 🏆 475. / 51 Read more »
Source: politico - 🏆 381. / 59 Read more »
Source: BuzzFeed - 🏆 730. / 51 Read more »