Record Floods Submerge Venice

According to Larisa Brown, "[h]eavy rains and seas whipped up by strong winds brought the lagoon city's high tide mark to its sixth-highest level since records began being kept 150 years ago in 1872."

While New York considers how to prepare the city for future storms, Venice is already moving forward with plans to construct sea defenses. "Moveable barriers that would rise from the sea bed to protect Venice from high tides have been in the works for years but will not be operational before 2014," says Brown.