By Riccardo Bastianello and Emily G Roe
VENICE (Reuters) - An exceptionally high tide hit Venice again on Friday just three days after the city suffered its worst flooding in more than 50 years, leaving squares, shops and hotels once more inundated.
Mayor Luigi Brugnaro closed access to the submerged St. Mark's Square and issued an international appeal for funds, warning that the damage caused by this week's floods could rise to one billion euros.
Local authorities said the high tide peaked at 154 cm (5.05 ft), slightly below expectations and significantly lower than the 187 cm level reached on Tuesday, which was the second highest tide ever recorded in Venice.
But it was still enough to leave 70% of the city under water, fraying the nerves of locals who faced yet another large-scale clean-up operation.
"We have been in this emergency for days and we just can't put up with it any more," said Venetian resident Nava Naccara.
The government declared a state of emergency for Venice on Thursday, allocating 20 million euros ($22 million) to address the immediate damage, but Brugnaro predicted the costs would be vastly higher and launched a fund to help pay for repairs.
"Venice was destroyed the other day. We are talking about damage totaling a billion euros," he said in a video.
Sirens wailed across the city from the early morning hours, warning of the impending high tide. Sea water swiftly filled the crypt beneath St. Mark's Basilica, built more than a thousand years ago.
Venice, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is spread over 118 islands and once presided over a powerful maritime empire. The city is filled with Gothic architectural masterpieces which house paintings by some of Italy's most important artists.
Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said initial checks suggested the damage to St. Mark's was not irreparable, but warned that more than 50 churches across the city had been flooded this week.
"Visiting here you see that the disaster is much bigger than you think when you watch the images on television," he said.
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