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The place where the world comes together in honesty and mirth.
Windmills Tilted, Scared Cows Butchered, Lies Skewered on the Lance of Reality ... or something to that effect.


Monday, December 1, 2008

Historic center of Venice flooded

Meanwhile, we're in a drought ...

Water in Venice rose to its highest level in more than 20 years Monday, flooding much of the Italian city and forcing residents and tourists to wade through knee-high water.

City officials said the sea level topped 61 inches early Monday, well past the 40-inch flood mark, following heavy rains.
Alarms went off to alert citizens in the morning.
"There are very few streets that are water-free," said a city spokesman, Enzo Bon.

Among the spots affected was St. Mark's Square, the landmark piazza that is the lowest point in the city.

Workers were unable to install the raised wooden walkways used during flooding because the water rose too high and too quickly.
The floods forced many of the water taxis to suspend service, Bon said.

TV footage showed people rolling up their pants or wearing rubber boots as they walked through the water.
Some had plastic wrapped around their legs, while some tourists in St. Mark's walked on chairs left in the piazza.
The last time Venice registered such high waters was in 1986, city officials said. The all-time record was 76 inches in 1966.

... granted it is not as severe as it was but a drought is a drought.

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