Venice – St. Mark’s Square in Venice went under water on Tuesday after failing to activate a newly installed system of a mobile artificial dam. Residents – longtime accustomed to the perennial “a kava alta” or high water events – feet above sea level in the afternoon. The feet are stretched once more on their rubber boots to meet the flood at the height reached.
The water submerged St. Mark’s Square, the lowest area of the newborn city, three feet above sea level, and invaded the famous basilica as many shopkeepers blocked their entrances with wooden panels to keep the water out.
A huge flood defense system called Moz was finally installed in October to protect the Venetian lagoon during high tide.
Andre Pataro / AFP / Getty
A network of water-filled cases is designed to be erected within 30 minutes to create a barrier capable of resisting an increase of up to ten feet from normal.
But on Tuesday the system failed to turn into action because the forecast mistakenly predicted only four feet of elevation above sea level.
“A big forecast is needed to activate Moss,” Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro told the Italian news agency Agen.
“We have to review the rules of the command post.”
The water reached a peak of six feet above sea level on November 12, 2019, the highest ever recorded. Dozens of churches with UNESCO World Heritage status were damaged.
The Moz Infrastructure project began in 2003, but was overshadowed by costs, corruption scandals and delays.
The project has cost an estimated seven billion euros ($ 4 billion), with an original estimate of two billion.
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