Paris flooded right before Euro 2016

(#wanderlusttips #Paris #Euro) Torrential rain in the last three days and flooding have immerged the “capital of light” in the water. Authorities installed emergency flood barriers along the river on Thursday, and French Prime Minister Manuel Valls declared a state of emergency in the parts of the country most affected.
[rpi] As scores of towns to the east and south of Paris suffer their worst flooding for decades, the river Seine is expected to rise well above its “preliminary” alert level of 5m by Friday. Statues and lampposts are almost submerged in water.

Fears are growing of serious flooding in Paris as the European football championship approaches, despite official assurances that all should be well. Other experts warned, however, that the weather and flood levels remained unpredictable, a week before the Euro 2016 national football tournament begins in Paris next Friday. A giant “fan zone”, capable of hosting up to 100,000 people has been built on the Champ de Mars beside the Eiffel Tower close to the river. However, flooding approaching the 1910 levels would put the fan zone under water.

The Louvre Museum shut its doors earlier than usual on Thursday and stay closed on Friday in order to evacuate works that risk being damaged by the rain. Rafts were used to evacuate thousands of residents in certain parts of the city.