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Paris readies for floods as Seine surges higher Paris readies for floods as Seine surges higher
(about 3 hours later)
Riverside homes and businesses in Paris are on high alert as the swollen River Seine threatens to overflow its banks.Riverside homes and businesses in Paris are on high alert as the swollen River Seine threatens to overflow its banks.
Some basements in the city have already sprung leaks after the river surged following heavy rainfall, reports said. Weeks of rainfall have produced a relentless rise in the water level, which is expected to peak at around 6m (20ft) above normal.
The Seine is forecast to swell even further this weekend, adding several metres of water above its normal level. Touring boats are tied up, riverside roads are sealed off and the Louvre museum has closed a lower gallery.
Many roads in the region are already waterlogged. Boat traffic - including the capital's famous tourist cruises - has also been interrupted. France has seen rain like this over the New Year period only three times in the last century.
The water level in the river is expected to peak at around 6m (19ft 6in), which is at least 4m above its normal level. The surging brown waters are also reportedly flushing rats out of their usual haunts below ground, the BBC's Kevin Connolly reports from the French capital.
The statue of a Crimean soldier - known as the Zouave - on the Pont de l'Alma has long been used as a marker for water levels in the city. Within Paris, the Seine runs in a deep channel which limits the effects of the rising waters. But in smaller towns along the river, our correspondent adds, shoppers and commuters have been punting boats along flooded streets. They are waiting for the waters to recede to allow the first estimates of the financial cost of the flooding to be made.
On Friday, the water was at its mid-thigh - not as high as the 1910 floods, which reached his neck and submerged the city for two months. A statue of a French soldier from the Crimean War- known as The Zouave - on the Pont de l'Alma has long been used as a marker for water levels in the city.
A busy commuter train service, the RER C, has been suspended until next week. On Friday, the water was mid-thigh - not as high as the 1910 floods, which reached his neck and submerged the city for two months.
Meanwhile, the Louvre museum has closed a lower level housing the Islamic Arts. As of 09:00 (08:00 GMT) on Saturday, the river level had reached 5.7m above normal.
In the suburb of Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, flooding forced some residents into boats to move along the roads. While forecasters believe it will continue to rise, peaking on Sunday night or Monday, it is not expected to reach the 2016 high of 6.1m, AFP news agency reports.
The flooding is also forcing movement of another city resident - the rat population. Saying the city was coping, Mayor Anne Hidalgo suggested the flooding, coupled with recent summer heat waves, was "clearly a question of the town adapting to climate change".
Rodents are being flushed out of the Parisian sewers, media outlet France 24 reports - making the city's rat infestation much more visible than usual. She warned that the high water levels would remain into next week, as water levels subside slowly due to waterlogged soil in the region.
The recent December-January period is now the third-wettest on record, according to France's national weather service. At the Louvre, a lower level housing Islamic artwork was closed to visitors. Other famous attractions like the Musée d'Orsay and the Orangerie gallery were on high alert.
Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo said the city was coping - but said that the flooding, coupled with recent summer heatwaves, was "clearly a question of the town adapting to climate change". A health centre in the north-western suburbs, where 86 patients were receiving care, was evacuated on Friday.
She also warned that the high water levels would remain into next week, as water levels "subside slowly" due to waterlogged soil in the region.
Have you been affected by the floods in Paris? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.Have you been affected by the floods in Paris? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
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