The “acqua granda” has severely struck the city, with peaks of 187 centimetres recorded overnight. Damage to the artistic heritage is difficult to calculate. Mayor Brugnaro: “the fault of climate change”.
Sirens rang out repeatedly overnight in Venice, warning residents of the exceptional nature of the event. At around 11pm on 12 November, the tide reached 187 centimetres at certain points across the lagoon city, as confirmed by Mayor Luigi Brugnaro. A level just below the exceptional high water of 4 November 1966, when the tide reached 194 centimetres. An event that caused the sea to submerge more than 80 per cent of the city, compounded by the very powerful sirocco winds that swept across the hinterland as well — winds very similar to those that blew on 29 October last year and gave rise to storm Vaia.
The footage shot by residents and tourists is alarming, showing a city engulfed by water, with the calli turned into veritable rivers. Late in the evening, Mayor Brugnaro reported from a completely submerged Piazza San Marco: "today too we are facing tides that are setting negative records. Tomorrow we will declare a state of calamity. We are asking the Government to help us — the costs will be high. These are the effects of climate change. The Mose must be completed soon."
During the day, both Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Infrastructure Minister Paola De Micheli were due to travel to the city, but the damage is extensive and difficult to calculate. The death toll is limited — two fatalities are reported: a 78-year-old man who was electrocuted in Pellestrina due to a short circuit, and another person who died on the same island, possibly from natural causes. Angelo Borrelli, head of Civil Protection, speaking from Venice, highlighted that "we have reached 133 deaths caused by extreme events that have struck the entire national territory in 2019 alone."
Speaking to Skytg24, Veneto regional president Luca Zaia declared: "It is a genuine disaster and we will recover from this too, but Venice has literally been brought to its knees — Venice, the city of art, the Ca' Pesaro museum, the Basilica, all the businesses and homes. We have had a flood, a tide that is the second highest in history. So much water, so much damage. Pellestrina under water — one of Venice's islands — a person who has lost their life, the beach at Caorle is devastated and there too flooding, flooding, and of course flooding also in Chioggia, and we are getting ready for the next tide which will come this morning. Let's say the situation is truly disastrous."
Among the worst affected is the Basilica of San Marco, where works of inestimable value are kept. The mosaics, columns and marble alone will suffer considerable damage from contact with the salt water. This is the sixth such episode in 1,200 years. Not only was the front section of the church flooded, but the crypt was completely submerged as well.
What has happened in Venice is the result of a chain of causes. High tides are certainly not unusual, but the exceptional events that keep occurring with ever greater frequency are. In particular, since the start of the millennium there have already been 11 events in which the tide has exceeded 140 centimetres (a level considered "exceptional"). Looking at data from the centro previsioni e segnalazioni maree, it is clear that since the 1980s exceptional events have increased markedly, nearly doubling in the last eight years. It should also be noted that average sea levels have already risen by 35 centimetres since 1870 and that, due to climate change, they are projected to rise by a further 11–16 centimetres. There is also the natural subsidence of the lagoon to consider, which means Venice too "is sinking." Once the storm has passed, it remains to be seen what will be done to save this city — as unique as it is fragile. So far, the various solutions have evidently not worked.
