By Chelbie Smith
Being from Louisiana, I know a thing or two about water and rising water at that. Being that I am a Hurricane Katrina survivor, I would like to say that I am very aware and cautious when it comes to water and its potential effects.
Before arriving to Florence, I had no idea of the history of the flooding until taking a walking tour and being shown the placards along the walls of buildings that note the level to which the water rose. The professor leading the tour spoke of the flood of 1966 and how so many people lost everything – from valued possessions to the city’s historical artifacts. There were more than a hundred people who lost their lives and thousands of families were left homeless. I was in awe, sometimes tragedies like that do not touch people unless they have been through a similar experience and in that I immediately felt sadness.
The reason I felt sadness was because a city so beautiful and full of art and importance had to lose some of its identity in a situation like that, but thankfully the city overcame and is where it is today – thriving due to its charm. But with increased rainfall due to climate change, I can’t help but to feel a little fear for Firenze.
On Sunday, November 17th 2019, the Arno river rose to its highest level since 1992 and was expected to continue to rise. People, including fellow students of FUA-AUF, were advised to “stay away from the Arno river, riverbanks, underpasses, and tunnels because of possible flooding.”
From bloggers who are based in Florence to Instagram accounts that I follow focusing on information on the city, there were many videos and photos posted of the high water level, which honestly was chilling to watch. As someone who appreciates the natural beauty of Florence, it is devastating to even think that there is even the slightest chance that water could ruin anything of the renaissance city, as with the flooding in Venice.
There was a follow up report via Instagram updating all that “the worst appears to have passed, but the city remains on high alert as more rain is forecast for Monday afternoon.” Since then, the weather has significantly changed from raining every day, which was beginning to be a little disheartening due to the limited time I have left here.
This experience has brought me even closer to Florence because of my experiences at home with flooding. This is yet another connection with my personal life and another reason to appreciate the beauty of the city even more. This experience has been so eye-opening in various ways – I learned more about the weather and how it affects the city and was quickly reminded not to take anything for granted.