The Seine River peaked early Saturday around Paris, hitting its highest level in nearly 35 years almost 4.5 meters (15 feet) above average and authorities warned it could take up to ten days for the river to return to normal.
Advertisement
“We’re now in the stabilisation phase,”said Bruno Janet, Vigicrues’ head of modelling”.
Other regions around Paris remained at risk, notably parts of Normandy, as digging out began in nearby villages and towns.
Two other victims were also reported in south Paris.
A 74-year-old man and an 86-year-old woman were killed in flooding in France earlier this week, along with 11 people in Germany, two in Romania and one in Belgium.
France’s meteorological service said Saturday that high flood alerts remained in effect in 14 regions, mostly in central and western France. Both the Orsay and the Louvre museums were shut to the public on Friday as staff desperately scrambled to move priceless artefacts from lower floors to higher-ground. “We’ve seen it once or twice”, he said.
Paris firefighters warned people to keep away from risky parts of the river, but crowds still gathered on the famous Pont du Carrousel bridge to watch the swirling waters.
Losses across France could reach more than €600m (£470m), according to France’s association of insurers.
More than 20,000 people in France have been evacuated since last weekend and about 18,000 homes were without power.
French Environment Minister Segolene Royal announced a major flood exercise in coming weeks based on flooding on the scale of the 1910 calamity.
President Francois Holland has said a state of natural disaster will be declared later this week – a move which will trigger compensation payments.
The death toll from the flooding across the country has risen to four while 24 people have been injured, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said after a meeting at a government crisis centre Saturday. While the Louvre’s most famous painting, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, is safe on an upper floor, about 250,000 artworks are being relocated from flood-risk areas.
Advertisement
The downpours have added to the gloom caused by months of protests and strikes over a labour reform bill that have continued in the run-up to the June 10 kick-off of the Euro 2016 football championships.
