The merchants of Venice — as well as residents and tourists — are thrilled that long-awaited flood barriers kept the city dry Saturday after years of massive flooding.

“Today, everything is dry,” mayor Luigi Brugnaro said on Twitter. “Pride and joy.”

As a powerful high tide driven by winds and rain started to rise, the network of 78 yellow barriers at the entrance to the low-lying city rose up to protect it.

The multi-billion-dollar flood defense system, called Mose, was supposed to roll out in 2011 but was plagued by corruption and delays, Reuters reported Saturday.

City officials had predicted a tide of more than 4 feet, well below last November’s devastating high tide but enough to inundate the lowest-lying areas