Strong winds wreaked havoc in Venice, the city of canals. The storm and the resulting floods were caused by a low pressure mass of air that transited the southern belt of the European continent. After traversing the Adriatic sea, the air currents rushed through the city of Venice from the south, making its way northwards. Many towns and villages were left in silos as flood waters rendered roads inoperable. Intense showers of snow at higher altitudes seriously impacted vacationers and part time workers. For instance, nearly 200 people stationed at the Stelvio pass were cordoned off by snow showers that prevented access to the Alpine pass.
Eleven people lost their lives. The fatalities included a woman trapped under heaps of displaced rock, debris and soil. A tree uprooted by the storm claimed the life of a firefighter. The deaths were spread across the localities of Trentino-Alto Adige and cities such as Naples, Liguria and Lazio.
Flood waters that inundated the city of Venice caused widespread damage to many buildings, including St Mark’s Basilica, a heritage monument and an important tourist destination. Local officials expect restoration efforts to be a long drawn and tedious process that can be made worse by climate change and erratic weather conditions.
Prior to this incident, the St Mark’s Basilica had been ravaged by inundations only once. Neighboring regions in the country were also not spared as winds gathered speeds as high as 90 mph.
Liguria, a coastal region along the North West, was severely affected. Potent sea currents brought down the breakwater walls in the Rapallo resort. As a result, Many small establishments in the port region, numerous yachts, including one owned by the former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, and other vessels were badly damaged. Portofino and Vernazza were two towns that were severely affected. Other impacted regions were Tuscany, Lombardy, Friuli and Venezia Giulia.
Nearly 6000 firefighters were mobilized as rescue efforts were deployed across the country. The strong winds left the runways at Genoa International Airport riddled with waste material, forcing officials to shut down operations.
The damage could have been mitigated comprehensively if the initiative to install underground blockades as part of the MOSE project had been unaffected by excessive expenditure and fraudulent dealings. The project is yet to be completed.
The floods in Venice were part of the ‘acqua alta’ season that occur annually between the months of October and January.