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In Paris, Seine River Rises to Highest Level Since 1982 In Paris, Seine River Rises to Highest Level Since 1982
(about 2 hours later)
PARIS — The Louvre Museum and the Musée d’Orsay relocated masterpieces from rooms vulnerable to flooding, and cultural institutions across the French capital turned away tourists, as continuing rains on Friday lifted the Seine River to its highest levels since 1982.PARIS — The Louvre Museum and the Musée d’Orsay relocated masterpieces from rooms vulnerable to flooding, and cultural institutions across the French capital turned away tourists, as continuing rains on Friday lifted the Seine River to its highest levels since 1982.
The Seine burst its banks on Wednesday and continued to swell, raising alarms throughout the capital. As of 1 p.m. on Friday, its waters had reached 18.5 feet. The river was expected to crest in the evening between 20.7 feet and, in the worst-case scenario, 21.3 feet, and to remain at high levels throughout the weekend before gradually receding, the French Environment Ministry said in a statement. The Seine burst its banks on Wednesday and continued to swell, raising alarms throughout the city. As of 5 p.m. on Friday, its waters had reached 19.8 feet. The river was expected to crest in the evening at 20.7 to 21.3 feet, and to remain at high levels throughout the weekend, the French Environment Ministry said in a statement.
Near the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, pieces of tree trunks floated along the swollen river. The waters had risen to the waistline of the Zouave, a notable statue next to the Pont de l’Alma that has traditionally been used as a gauge of the Seine’s levels. The city’s government urged residents to move valuables out of their basements. “The situation is still evolving hour per hour,” a deputy mayor of Paris, Colombe Brossel, said at a news conference at City Hall, saying that the authorities estimated that it would take at least one or two weeks for the water to recede to normal levels.
Near the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, pieces of tree trunks floated along the swollen river. The waters had risen to the waistline of the Zouave, a notable statue next to the Pont de l’Alma that has traditionally been used as a gauge of the Seine’s levels. The city’s government urged residents to move valuables out of their basements. An art collection had to be removed from the city hall in Ivry-sur-Seine, a southeastern suburb of Paris, for safekeeping.
“Around the Eiffel Tower, the banks are flooded,” said Julien Rogard, 23, an engineer who takes the No. 6 Metro line, which crosses over the Seine on the Pont de Bir-Hakeim. “Where we usually can walk, we can’t anymore.”“Around the Eiffel Tower, the banks are flooded,” said Julien Rogard, 23, an engineer who takes the No. 6 Metro line, which crosses over the Seine on the Pont de Bir-Hakeim. “Where we usually can walk, we can’t anymore.”
Vanessa Colnot, 39, who lives in Choisy-le-Roi, a southeastern suburb of Paris, said she had watched from her windows with alarm as the waters rose for two days. “My babysitter lives in the flooded area,” she said. “People have started to leave their homes because there is water in the streets, and they don’t want to stay if it means wearing rainboots inside.” Vanessa Colnot, 39, who lives in Choisy-le-Roi, a southeastern suburb of Paris, said she had watched from her windows with alarm as the waters rose for two days. “My babysitter lives in the flooded area,” she said. “People have started to leave their homes because there is water in the streets, and they don’t want to stay if it means wearing rain boots inside.”
The Seine has not overflowed this much since December 1982, when it rose to about 20 feet, but the river’s level is still far short of the 26.2 feet reached in the catastrophic deluge of January 1910. The Seine has not overflowed this much since December 1982, when it rose to about 20 feet, but the river’s level is still far short of the 26.2 feet reached in the catastrophic flood of January 1910.
Parisians and tourists thronged to take photos of the swollen Seine, prompting a warning from Ms. Brossel, who said: “There are still people going on the riverbanks to take pictures. It is not safe. We are asking you to respect the ban on going there.”
The government has made emergency plans to shift operations from the Élysée Palace, the seat of the French presidency, to the Château de Vincennes, a former royal fortress just east of the capital, if the waters reach 21.3 feet.The government has made emergency plans to shift operations from the Élysée Palace, the seat of the French presidency, to the Château de Vincennes, a former royal fortress just east of the capital, if the waters reach 21.3 feet.
“We’re not yet at this stage,” an official at the general secretariat for national defense and security told the magazine Le Point. “For now, we’re making sure that all plans are ready and that the different measures may be set in motion to ensure the continuation of governmental work.”“We’re not yet at this stage,” an official at the general secretariat for national defense and security told the magazine Le Point. “For now, we’re making sure that all plans are ready and that the different measures may be set in motion to ensure the continuation of governmental work.”
At the Foreign Ministry, on the Left Bank, officials expressed fears that telecommunications and computer equipment on the lower floors of the building known as the Quai d’Orsay could flood, but they said the ministry’s archives had been moved to the suburbs in 2010 for safekeeping. At the Foreign Ministry, on the Left Bank, officials expressed fears that telecommunications and computer equipment on the lower floors of the building, known as the Quai d’Orsay, could flood. They said the ministry’s archives had been moved to the suburbs in 2010 for safekeeping.
Heavy rains have caused flooding across much of France, and 20,000 households were without power on Friday, mostly in the Seine-et-Marne area, east of Paris, and in Essonne, south of Paris, a result of the swelling of the Marne and Loing tributaries of the Seine.Heavy rains have caused flooding across much of France, and 20,000 households were without power on Friday, mostly in the Seine-et-Marne area, east of Paris, and in Essonne, south of Paris, a result of the swelling of the Marne and Loing tributaries of the Seine.
Workers in Paris erected a special barrier Friday morning to protect an underground electrical transformer station near the Pont de l’Alma to protect it; the substation provides power to about 80,000 customers in the 7th and 8th arrondissements. Workers in Paris erected a special barrier on Friday morning to protect an underground electrical transformer station near the Pont de l’Alma. The substation provides power to about 80,000 customers in the Seventh and Eighth Arrondissements.
The evacuation of artworks from the Louvre, which was closed to visitors, has attracted particular attention. Starting on Thursday, officials at the museum, which is on the Right Bank of the Seine, activated an emergency flood-protection plan established in 2002, prioritizing the most fragile artworks, like tapestries. The evacuation of artworks from the Louvre, which was closed to visitors, has attracted particular attention. Starting on Thursday, officials at the museum, which is on the Right Bank of the Seine, activated an emergency flood-protection plan established in 2002, prioritizing the most fragile artworks, such as tapestries.
An estimated 150,000 artworks in storage rooms and an additional 7,000 pieces in galleries were vulnerable to flooding, and a large proportion of those were moved to higher floors as a precaution, officials said. On Twitter, Yannick Lintz, a curator of Islamic art, to which the Louvre has dedicated a lower-level gallery, posted an image of exhibition cases emptied during the evacuation, which lasted all night. An estimated 150,000 artworks in storage rooms and an additional 7,000 pieces in galleries were vulnerable to flooding, and a large portion of those were moved to higher floors as a precaution, officials said.
Galleries holding ancient Greek, Etruscan and Roman art, including a room containing a famed bust of Homer, were also affected. Officials emphasized that no waters had entered the museum, one of the world’s largest cultural institutions, which is housed in a palace complex with origins in the late 12th century.
The evacuation was expected to last four days, though it was unclear if the plan would be halted if the Seine stopped rising. Other cultural institutions that were closed on Friday included the Musée d’Orsay, which is in a former train station on the Left Bank; the Musée du Quai Branly, which is devoted to non-Western art, and the main Bibliothèque Nationale building, named after former President François Mitterrand.
Officials emphasized that no waters had entered the museum, one of the world’s largest cultural institutions, housed in a palace complex with origins in the late 12th century.
The Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, which is in a former train station on the Left Bank, said they planned to reopen on Tuesday. Other cultural institutions that were closed on Friday included the Musée du Quai Branly, which is devoted to non-Western art, and the main Bibliothèque Nationale building, named after former President François Mitterrand.
The Musée Girodet in Montargis, a town about 77 miles south of Paris, suffered heavy damage on Thursday. The museum is devoted mainly to the work of Anne-Louis Girodet, a Romantic painter who died in 1824.The Musée Girodet in Montargis, a town about 77 miles south of Paris, suffered heavy damage on Thursday. The museum is devoted mainly to the work of Anne-Louis Girodet, a Romantic painter who died in 1824.
“We had the time to save a majority of the works by Girodet, our major artist,” Claire Hansen-Béales, a museum official, told the radio station France Info, on Thursday. “But the rest of the collection at the moment is a big question. The works had been stored in strongboxes in the basement of our building, which is on the banks of the Briard canal. We can’t access the basement at the moment. We will have to wait for the water level to drop before we can do an inventory.” “We had the time to save a majority of the works by Girodet, our major artist,” Claire Hansen-Béales, a museum official, told the radio station France Info, on Thursday. “But the rest of the collection at the moment is a big question.”
Flooding has also damaged the landmark Château de Chambord, about 100 miles south of Paris, in the Loire Valley, where historic tapestries had to be moved. Flooding has damaged the landmark Château de Chambord, about 100 miles south of Paris, in the Loire Valley, where historic tapestries had to be moved.
Heavy rains have also caused deadly flooding in Germany, particularly in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg and in the southern state of Bavaria. Heavy rains also caused deadly flooding in Germany, particularly in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg and in the southern state of Bavaria.
On Thursday evening, the police in Lower Bavaria confirmed the death of a sixth victim in the region, a 65-year-old man whose body was found in Simbach am Inn — bringing to 10 the number of deaths attributable to the flooding. A couple in Lower Bavaria were missing.On Thursday evening, the police in Lower Bavaria confirmed the death of a sixth victim in the region, a 65-year-old man whose body was found in Simbach am Inn — bringing to 10 the number of deaths attributable to the flooding. A couple in Lower Bavaria were missing.