Stubborn storm system floods parts of France after causing major damage in Germany
A pinwheeling low pressure system edged westward from central Europe on Tuesday into Wednesday, spreading flood woes from Germany into Belgium and France.
Floods devastated regions across France on Wednesday. In some areas, the flooding is being called the worst seen in a century or more, due to a combination of heavy downpours and a wet May.
The Seine River overflowed its banks in Paris, one French town was evacuated, travelers trapped on a submerged highway were rescued by soldiers and boat cruises in Paris were cancelled.
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Meteorologists predicted that, in some areas, the waters are expected to keep rising for days.
No casualties have been reported, but emergency workers have carried out more than 8,000 rescue operations from the Belgian border south to Burgundy over the past two days, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Wednesday.
Paris City Hall closed roads along the shores of the Seine from the Left Bank in the east to the Eiffel Tower neighborhood in the west, as water levels rose at least 4.3 meters (about 14 feet) higher than average.
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Signs for the Seine's popular Bateaux-Mouches tourist boats in French, English and Japanese read, “Due to floodwaters, all cruises are cancelled.”
Unusually heavy rain has pummeled France and other European countries in recent days, causing exceptional delays at the French Open tennis tournament and forcing the evacuation of two prisons.
The town of Nemours, southeast of Paris, was the worst hit. Authorities were evacuating the center of town Wednesday even as Environment Minister Segolene Royal rushed to the site. Members of a canoe club were among those helping in the rescue, France-Info radio reported.
President Francois Hollande expressed his support for flood victims during a Cabinet meeting, while Cazeneuve said the government is working to protect flood victims and pledged to pay for rescue and cleanup efforts.
Parts of neighboring Germany also have seen storms and heavy rain since the weekend.
On Wednesday, floods hit an area of Bavaria in southern Germany near the Austrian border. The center of the town of Triftern was flooded and Mayor Walter Czech said roads to the town's hilltop school were impassable. He said the school's roughly 250 children might have to stay the night in the gymnasium, the DPA news agency reported.
In Paris, the rain eased Wednesday but more showers were expected in the evening and through Thursday. City authorities warned residents and visitors to be vigilant around river banks and said high river levels were expected to peak Friday.
Paris houseboat resident Jean-Edwin Rhea, 47, had to cut power to his boat to avoid electrical problems.
“Apart from that, we find it very entertaining. Children loved it,” he said. “We were here last night and had some drinks on the terrace. It was beautiful, with lots of lights, the rain.”
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
Andrew Freedman is Mashable's Senior Editor for Science and Special Projects. Prior to working at Mashable, Freedman was a Senior Science writer for Climate Central. He has also worked as a reporter for Congressional Quarterly and Greenwire/E&E Daily. His writing has also appeared in the Washington Post, online at The Weather Channel, and washingtonpost.com, where he wrote a weekly climate science column for the "Capital Weather Gang" blog. He has provided commentary on climate science and policy for Sky News, CBC Radio, NPR, Al Jazeera, Sirius XM Radio, PBS NewsHour, and other national and international outlets. He holds a Masters in Climate and Society from Columbia University, and a Masters in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University.
