Late-night Acqua Alta
Jan 26, 2009 About Venice, Vita venexiàn
Just got an SMS predicting acqua alta of between 105 – 110 cm (due to a disturbance in the Atlantic, of all things) for late this evening, cresting at 11:40 pm. If you were here, and planning to go out for dinner, it would be advisable to take your boots for the walk home.
This video was shot in Cannaregio during the historic acqua alta of Dec 1, 2008 (156 cm, compared tonight’s predicted max of 110), and I think it tells the story pretty well. As extreme as it was, within about three hours after the video was shot, the tide had receded — leaving a big, big mess.
p.s. There’s even a bookstore named Libreria Acqua Alta, just off Campo S.M. Formosa down Calle Larga S.M. Formosa. This eccentric store has a gondola as its centerpiece that perhaps could come in handy in the event of another historic tide…but that meanwhile is used for book display.
Tags: acqua alta, venice
The sound of sirens: warning tones of rising tides in Venice.
Dec 10, 2008 Vita venexiàn
This is such a forlorn sound, especially recorded in my quiet calle, and hearing it echo beyond. I didn’t make it to the window in time to record the one air-raid siren preceded these, but the tones here indicate how high a water level you can anticipate, and are erie enough to give you pause. There is a sensation of being under seige…
The pops you hear throughout the short recording are raindrops spitting on the microphone. I’ll use a windscreen next time.
You hear only two of the four tones, any more mean higher water. I expect to hear all four of them later tonight, as the SMS notification I just received predicts 140 cm by 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. The water didn’t completely subside from the earlier tide, you see, and there’s a full moon, which only increases the effects.
Was heading out for pizza this evening with friends…l’abbiamo rinviato, needless to say…
Tags: acqua alta, venice
Waders and Wellies
Dec 5, 2008 Vita venexiàn
Not that we expect another historic flood tomorrow, but as a result of not being able to get out of the house on Monday because the water was higher than my Wellie-height boots, I am now on the hunt for a pair of waders. These will also come in handy in case I ever want to masquerade as a fly fisherman, or, should I ever have the opportunity to scavenge for peoci (much more likely).
Stopped in yesterday at the hardware store (as they’d be more likely to stock waders than a shoe store), expecting them to be sold out as of Monday, and of course, they were. They gave me suggestions as to other places to check that would also be sold out. Arrivano ancora? I asked. “No, we won’t get anymore.” Fine. OK, we’re in the first month of high-water season, and we are out of boot stock with none on the way. Another customer, an older gentleman, chuckled.
There’s a saying in Venetian, he said, and translated it into Italian for me, just in case. “Fanno come vogliano: il tempo, i cani, e i padroni.” They do as they please: the weather, dogs, and proprietors.
If you’re in giro and you spot any waders, would you let me know? Sarei molto grata…I’d be very grateful!
[Found 'em: Al Botegon on Via Garibaldi, on the right just before the park entrance.]
Tags: acqua alta
Stay away – don’t – stay away – don’t stay away!
Dec 2, 2008 Vita venexiàn
Somebody said that somebody said that Mayor Cacciari said that people should stay away from Venice, “for some incomprehensible reason tied to some presumed danger.”
He intended it, evidently, for those few hours when we were up to our earlobes in the marea, and the city was just struggling to address the situation. He didn’t really mean it as a long-term sort of command, and is calling for some sort of companion press releases in English to help avoid the situation in the future.
“Far be it from me and any intention I have to invite who-knows-who not to come to Venice; and even worse, to over-drammatize the situation.”
I translated his comments, of course.
Tags: acqua alta, cacciari, flood, venice
