River Seine overflows causing the Louvre to close down, thousands flee homes amid state of emergency

RT
Thu, 02 Jun 2016 21:09 UTC

© Kenzo Tribouillard / AFP

A picture taken on June 2, 2016 shows the river Seine bursting its banks next to the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Torrential rains and severe flooding across France have forced thousands of people to flee their homes amid a state of emergency. Paris' iconic Louvre museum will stay closed on Friday to be ready to remove artworks if the River Seine rises too high.

French President Francois Hollande declared a state of emergency on Thursday due to the flooding, which has been caused by the Loire and Seine rivers bursting their banks following heavy downpours. The leader promised money to help local authorities deal with the damage.

© Christian Hartmann / Reuters

A firefighter evacuates a baby from a flooded area in Chalette-sur-Loing, near Orleans, France.

Rescue workers have responded to about 10,000 calls and evacuated more than 5,000 people with small boats since the weekend.

Photos show residents climbing out of their houses onto rafts, as boats float across streets that now resemble rivers.

© Christian Hartmann / Reuters

Residents in Nemours, near Orleans, France, await evacuation from floods.

The River Seine has risen by five meters (16 feet) in Paris, flooding the French capital. The city has warned that the river could rise to 5.6 meters (18.4 feet) above its normal level by the end of the day, and has forecasted that it should crest tomorrow at just under 6 meters (19.7 feet).

Rail operator SNCF was forced to close an underground commuter line running along the Seine in Paris that is frequently used by tourists traveling to the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral.

© Christian Hartmann / Reuters

A resident brings baguettes to his mother's flooded house in Chalette-sur-Loing Montargis, near Orleans, France.

According to an internal email written to employees and seen by Reuters, the landmark Louvre museum closed its doors on Thursday and will not open on Friday in order to allow staff to easily remove works of art if needed.

"The museum will remain closed to the public tomorrow out of precaution: there is no danger to the public or our staff but will allow us to calmly remove certain art collections should it be necessary," the email states.

Meanwhile, the Musee d'Orsay said it would close earlier than usual on Thursday.

In the Loire valley, the Chambord Castle - a Unesco World Heritage Site dating back to the 1500s - has been surrounded by water.

Speaking during a visit to a crisis control center in flooded Nemours, where 3,000 of the town's 13,000 residents have been evacuated, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said: "The situation remains tense and difficult in several areas. We still have many concerns."

At least one person in France has died due to the flooding, as an 86-year-old woman was found dead in her house southwest of Paris late on Wednesday.

Heavy rains have also affected other parts of Europe, with six days of downpours leading to the death of eight people in Germany.

Comment: UPDATE: Paris ready for 6m peak flood

Flood waters now predicted to reach 6.2m as red alert is lifted in last department, Seine-et-Marne

AS FLOODS started to ease in towns and villages upstream of Paris the capital is preparing for midday, when the waters should reach their highest at about 6metres.

That is about 10cm higher than had been expected and will further impact commuter transport with the RER C line that runs along the bank of the Seine already closed in the inner city plus the strategic St Michel Metro at the bottom of Boulevard St Michel, which was under water.

Already this morning there were reports of 240km of traffic jams on the roads into Paris instead of the 150km 'normally'.

The floods have claimed three victims - a 74-year-old horseman who was swept away in Grégy-en-Yerre, a three-year-old boy who was found drowned in the basement of his house at Sens and an 86-year-old woman found dead in her home at Souppes-sur-Loing - and Environment Minister Ségolène Royal fears more will be found as waters recede.

Yesterday morning flood levels on the Seine were at 4.88m above normal level at 10.00 and last night it had reached 5.37m at 21.00. This morning at 10.00 it was at 5.64m - that is nearly two storeys high - and the rising water had already started floods further downstream with Seine-Saint-Denis to the north-east and Essonne to the south-west also affected.

So far the water is below the last severe flood, in 1982 when it reached 6.18m and still two metres below the 100-year-flood of 1910, which was 8.62m.