A local man from Pellestrina, one of the many islands in the Venetian lagoon, died when he was struck by lightning while using an electric water pump, the fire brigade said. 
 
 The flooded crypt of St Mark's Basilica is pictured during an exceptionally high water levels in Venice, Italy November 13, 2019. Reuters 

City officials said the tide peaked at 187 cm (6ft 2ins) at 10.50 p.m. (2150 GMT) on Tuesday, just short of the record 194 cm set in 1966.  The flooded crypt of St Mark's Basilica is pictured during an exceptionally high water levels in Venice, Italy November 13, 2019. Reuters  Night-time footage showed a torrent of water whipped up by high winds raging through the city centre while Luca Zaia, governor of the Veneto region, described a scene of “apocalyptic devastation”. 
 
 The Mayor of Venice Luigi Brugnaro walks on St Mark's Square during an exceptionally high water levels in Venice, Italy November 13, 2019. Reuters 

Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said the situation was dramatic. “We ask the government to help us. The cost will be high. This is the result of climate change,” he said on Twitter.  The Mayor of Venice Luigi Brugnaro walks on St Mark's Square during an exceptionally high water levels in Venice, Italy November 13, 2019. Reuters  He said he would declare a disaster zone and ask the government to call a state of emergency, which would allow funds to be freed to address the damage. Saint Mark’s Square was submerged by more than one metre of water, while the adjacent Saint Mark’s Basilica was flooded for the sixth time in 1,200 years - but the fourth in the last 20. 
 
 A flooded shop during a night of record high water in Venice, Italy November 13, 2019. Reuters 

A flood barrier was designed in 1984 to protect Venice from the kind of high tides that hit the city on Tuesday, but the multi-billion euro project, known as Mose, has been plagued by corruption scandals and is still not operative.  A flooded shop during a night of record high water in Venice, Italy November 13, 2019. Reuters  Brugnaro said the basilica had suffered “grave damage”, but no details were available on the state of its mainly Byzantine interior, famous for its rich mosaics. Its administrator said the basilica had aged 20 years in a single day when it was flooded last year. 
 
 Damages in a hotel after a night of record-high water levels are pictured in Venice, Italy November 13, 2019. Reuters 

‘ON ITS KNEES’  Damages in a hotel after a night of record-high water levels are pictured in Venice, Italy November 13, 2019. Reuters  Some tourists appeared to enjoy the drama, with one man filmed swimming across Saint Mark’s Square wearing only shorts on Tuesday evening. “Venice is on its knees.. the art, the basilica, the shops and the homes, a disaster.. The city is bracing itself for the next high tide,” Zaia said on TV. 
 
 People walk outside during an exceptionally high water levels in Venice, Italy November 13, 2019. Reuters 

The luxury Hotel Gritti, a landmark of Venice which looks onto the Lagoon, was also flooded.  People walk outside during an exceptionally high water levels in Venice, Italy November 13, 2019. Reuters  On Wednesday morning the tide level fell to 145 cm but was expected to rise back to 160 cm during the day. Local authorities and the government’s civil protection unit will hold a news conference at 1100 GMT.