Severe storms have claimed the lives of nearly a dozen people in Italy. Strong winds and heavy rains have battered the country over the last two days as reports out of Europe say 11 people have been killed.
In the coastal town of Rapallo firefighters rescued 19 people ,while storms damaged docked yachts. Almost 6,000 firefighters worked to clear trees and debris from roads across the country as Prime Minister Guiseppe Conte mobilized the National Guard to assist.
Water levels in Venice reached their highest since 2008, where restaurants and shops worked to clear rising water.
“The problem for us was the wooden floors which suffered serious damages, but we are working and we will try to reopen as soon as possible — Venice is an amphibious civilization, we need to get used to this,” stated Stefano Stipitivich, art director at Florian Cafe.
A woman removes water from a shop in a flooded street of Venice, Italy, Monday, Oct. 29, 2018, as, according to city officials, 70-percent of the lagoon city has been flooded by waters rising 149 centimeters (more than 58 1/2 inches) above sea level. Venice frequently floods when high winds push in water from the lagoon, but Monday’s levels are exceptional and forecast to rise even higher, to 160 centimeters (nearly 63 inches) by mid-afternoon. (Andrea Merola/ANSA via AP)
Local news agencies reported damage to the famed Saint Mark’s Basilica, where water reportedly reached 35 inches.
Much of the flooding has been blamed on lack of maintenance to the country’s numerous river beds.
Many parts of the country remain under alert for flooding from the heavy rains.
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 7:08 AM PT — Wed. Oct. 31, 2018
