The death toll in Venice has risen to 11 and has the potential to climb as the tides continue to rise. Much of Venice was engulfed in the water when the high tides and strong winds came in on Monday, October 29th. The saltwater is predicted to cause great damage to famous historical sites and artifacts.

St. Mark’s Basilica, a precious historical church was turned into a lake when the salt water came barreling in. The mosaic flooring at the entrance of the basilica was under about ninety centimeters of saltwater for 16 hours. The saltwater is believed to have made the ancient marble floors age 20 years in one day. Italian politician Carlo Tessarini says that the water also soaked the monumental bronze doors and columns. The 924-year-old building is made out of brick which deteriorates at a high rate when introduced with saltwater.

Each year, Venice’s famous canals that run all throughout the city, become flooded. But this rare phenomenon has risen the sea level one-hundred and fifty-six centimeters (sixty-one inches). The highest ever recorded was 194 centimeters (seventy-six inches) in November of 1966. Property owners have built-in barriers knowing about the annual flooding, but the barriers have not succeeded in keeping the water out. The water has soaked up through the pavement and has done significant damage.

A study done in 2012 showed that the sea level rising wasn’t the only thing causing Venice’s famous canals to rise higher every year. The study’s findings showed that the Italian city is slowly tilting to the East. The city is also sinking. The team used data from 2000 to 2010 to track changes in the elevation of Venice and its surrounding lagoons and found that the city was subsiding on average about 1 to 2 millimeters a year (0.04 to 0.08 inches per year).

See more about the Venice flooding here.