People walk near the Rialto bridge on the occasion of a high tide, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
Tourists and Venetians alike have donned high boots and taken to temporary raised walkways to slosh through the high water that has hit much of the lagoon city.
Venice’s tide forecast office said the water level peaked at 1.27 meters (4ft 3in) on Tuesday morning but warned that an even higher tide was forecast for after nightfall.
The high water invaded cafes, stores and other businesses. Sirens warned people in Venice of the rising water, and as a precaution, authorities closed nursery schools.
A top tourist attraction, the Ducal Palace, just off St Mark’s Square, tweeted that it was “open today, despite the exceptional tide”, and advised visitors to use the raised walkways leading to its entrance.
Many hotels keep disposable knee-high plastic boots handy for tourists. Venetians’ wardrobes often include over-the-knee rubber boots.
A shopkeeper looks out of his shop at a flooded St. Mark's Square on the occasion of a high tide, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Andrea Merola/ANSA via AP)
The high water, known locally as “acqua alta”, was amusing for tourists and a nuisance for residents going about their business, but levels were far lower than the 1.94 meters (6ft 4in) in the devastating November 1966 flood.
But even lower levels of the salty high water over the years take their toll on the city, eroding foundations of homes, businesses and city buildings.
Bad weather is continuing to dog Italy, with no real let-up forecast for several days.
In Policoro, a southern town in an area known for its ancient Greek ruins, a whirlwind ripped the roofs off two homes, but the occupants inside escaped injury, Italian news reports said.
In the same region of Basilicata, areas of the tourist town of Matera, famed for its Sassi former cave dwellings, were flooded after heavy rains. (AP)
A stranded ferry boat lies on its side, in Venice, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019. The mayor of Venice is blaming climate change for flooding in the historic canal city that has reached the second-highest levels ever recorded, as another exceptional water level was recorded Wednesday. The high-water mark hit 187 centimeters (74 inches) late Tuesday, meaning more than 85% of the city was flooded. (AP Photo/Luigi Costantini)
A tourist pushes her floating luggage in a flooded St. Mark's Square, in Venice, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019. The high-water mark hit 187 centimeters (74 inches) late Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019, meaning more than 85% of the city was flooded. The highest level ever recorded was 194 centimeters (76 inches) during infamous flooding in 1966. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A man looks at a stranded taxi boat lying on its side in a alley in Venice, early Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019. The mayor of Venice is blaming climate change for flooding in the historic canal city that has reached the second-highest levels ever recorded, as another exceptional water level was recorded Wednesday. The high-water mark hit 187 centimeters (74 inches) late Tuesday, meaning more than 85% of the city was flooded. (AP Photo/Luigi Costantini)
A woman sits in a chair in a flooded St. Mark's Square, in Venice, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019. The high-water mark hit 187 centimeters (74 inches) late Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019, meaning more than 85% of the city was flooded. The highest level ever recorded was 194 centimeters (76 inches) during infamous flooding in 1966. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A seagull flies off the water in a flooded St.Mark Square, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
People walk on catwalk set up on the occasion of a high tide, in a flooded Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
The entrance to St. Mark's Basilica is flooded on the occasion of a high tide, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
A man walks past a closed cafe in a flooded Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
People walk on catwalk set up on the occasion of a high tide, in a flooded Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
A woman is silhouetted as she walks towards a flooded St. Mark's Square, on the occasion of a high tide, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
People wade through water on the occasion of a high tide, in a flooded Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
Tourists carry their luggage as they wade through water on the occasion of a high tide, in a flooded Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
A woman carries her daughter in a flooded St. Mark's Square, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
A photographer takes pictures in a flooded St. Mark's Square, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
A woman standing on catwalk, right, set up on the occasion of a high tide takes pictures, in a flooded Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
A shop assistant adjusts shoes as women outside wade through a flooded street on the occasion of a high tide, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Andrea Merola/ANSA via AP)
People walk on catwalks set up on the occasion of a high tide, in a flooded Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
People walk on catwalk set up in a flooded St. Mark's Square, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
A greengrocer carries his cart as the water begins to flood St. Mark's Square on the occasion of a high tide, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
People walk on catwalk set up in front of St. Mark's Basilica on the occasion of a high tide, in a flooded Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
People wade through water on the occasion of a high tide, in a flooded Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
People walk on catwalk set up on the occasion of a high tide, in a flooded Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
A greengrocer carries his cart as the water begins to flood St. Mark's Square on the occasion of a high tide, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
People walk in a flooded St. Mark's Square in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
People walk in a flooded St. Mark's Square, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
People walk in a flooded St. Mark's Square, in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Photo: Luca Bruno/AP)
Activist group says Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley ‘deserve most blame for firing up violent mob of Trump supporters that attacked US Capitol and killed five people’
Senate Democrats came out with their version of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill. A look at some of the major changes in the bill now being considered by the Senate versus what passed the House last week. President Joe Biden and Senate Democrats have agreed to tighten eligibility for the $1,400 payments.
President Biden said Saturday that the Senate passage of his $1.9 trillion COVID relief package means the $1,400 direct payments for most Americans can begin going out later this month. Driving the news: The Senate voted 50-49 Saturday to approve the sweeping legislation. The House is expected to pass the Senate's version of the bill next week before it heads to Biden's desk for his signature.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeThe big picture: As part of the legislation, individuals who make less than $75,000 or heads of households who make up to $112,500 will qualify for the $1,400 payments. Couples who make less than $150,000 will get $2,800.Individuals who make between $75,000 and $80,000 and couples who earn between $150,000 and $160,000 will receive a reduced payment.Parents who qualify will get an additional $1,400 for every child claimed on their most recent tax returns.What he's saying: "Everything that is in this package is designed to relieve the suffering and meet the most urgent needs of the nation and put us in a better position to prevail," Biden said following the Saturday passage of the bill. "This plan will get checks out the door, starting this month to the American people who so desperately need the help," he added. "The resources in this plan will be used to expand and speed up manufacturing and distribution of vaccines so we can get every single American vaccinated sooner rather than later.""I promised the American people that help is on the way. Today, I can say we've taken one more giant step forward in delivering on that promise." The bottom line: "This plan puts us on a path to beating the virus. This plan gives those families who are struggling the most the help and breathing room to get through this moment. This plan gives small businesses in this country a fighting chance to survive," Biden said. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free
The Duchess of Sussex “called all the shots” when it came to managing her own media, royal sources have said, casting doubt on her claim she could not be interviewed by Oprah Winfrey three years ago. Multiple royal sources have told The Telegraph the 39-year-old former actress “had full control” over her media interviews and had personally forged relationships not only with Ms Winfrey, but other powerful industry figures including Vogue editor Edward Enninful. In a teaser clip released from the Sussexes’s interview with the US chat show host, due to be aired in the US on Sunday, the Duchess said it felt “liberating” to be able to speak and accused the Royal family of effectively gagging her and taking away that choice. “It’s really liberating to be able to have the right and the privilege in some ways to be able to say yes, I’m ready to talk, to be able to make a choice on your own and be able to speak for yourself,” the Duchess said. In the clip, the Duchess and Ms Winfrey reference the fact that a royal aide was listening in to their first phone call in February 2018, although it is understood the pair had spoken privately before then.
A Georgia teen charged for alleged involvement in the U.S. Capitol riot now admits he “was wrong” for his actions and hopes to spend his pretrial days with his folks, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Friday. Bruno Cua, 18, is the youngest of more than 300 people accused of having stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 in support of former President Donald Trump and has been in custody since ...