'We've Destroyed Venice': Mayor Says Damages to Venice Due to Floods Estimated to Be at Least $1Bln

ROME (Sputnik) - Damages to Italy's top tourist city Venice due to ongoing devastating floods are estimated to be at least a billion euros ($1.1 billion), Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said.

"We have destroyed Venice. We're talking about a billion euros in damages", the mayor said.

Mayor Luigi Brugnaro has also ordered the iconic St Mark's Square closed ahead of the latest sea swell of about 1.6 metres (over five feet) as powerful storms and winds hit the region again mid-morning. According to reports, it will be lower than the peak of 12 November but still dangerous.

⚠️Piazza San Marco è Chiusa⚠️
⚠️Piazza San Marco is closed⚠️ pic.twitter.com/ppdlpiXa3P

— Luigi Brugnaro (@LuigiBrugnaro) November 15, 2019

​"I'm forced to close the square to avoid health risks for citizens... a disaster", Brugnaro said.

#AcquaAlta ⚠️ Ho dato dispisizione di chiudere Piazza San Marco
⚠️San Marco Square is closed pic.twitter.com/ppt0OdpO4t

— Luigi Brugnaro (@LuigiBrugnaro) November 15, 2019

​Churches, shops and houses in the city of canals have been flooded by extraordinarily intense "acqua alta", or high waters that hit on 12 November. Italy declared a state of emergency in Venice, a UNESCO World Heritage site, after the city recorded a high-water mark of 1.87 metres (6.13 feet), resulting in the highest tide since 1966.

#AcquaAltaAVenezia ferma a 155cm, e cannaregio ha questa faccia qua.
martedì notte era a 187cm, mezzo metro in più; io sono alta 1.80, e oggi mi arrivava alle cosce, fossi stata bloccata in centro tre giorni fa mi sarebbe arrivata alla vita.
incubo. #venezia #venice #acquaalta pic.twitter.com/6PfR8mtpDl

— nas doesn't feel like it (@xanalnas) November 15, 2019

​In 1966, the high-water mark reached a record 1.94 metres (6.36 feet), triggering the worst flood in the city's history. It left thousands of residents without homes and caused over $6 million in damage to the city.