The River Seine is flooded and its levels just keep on rising.
The river's water levels have already doubled from 1.6 metres to 3.2 metres in a week and it is expected they will continue to go up for the next 72 hours after Storm Eleanor hit much of France on Wednesday.
Water levels at the Austerlitz Bridge in central Paris on Friday afternoon stood at 3.26 metres compared to 2.31 on Monday and they are expected to reach a peak of four metres over the weekend.
As a result Parisians were warned on Friday against going down to their cellars, with City Hall calling for “vigilance regarding cellars and basements”.
Tempête Eleanor : la Seine va continuer de monter ce week-end à Paris, les précautions à prendre https://t.co/P18VsDMdly pic.twitter.com/jJWF6Ru71n
— LCI (@LCI) January 5, 2018
Residents have also been warned against storing valuable goods in these rooms.
Further measures could be taken in the coming days, the police headquarters said on Friday, including the closure of pedestrian areas along the river as well as traffic restrictions in affected areas.
In general, people in Paris have been advised to take caution when travelling along the waterways of the Seine and asked to stay up to date with the latest information.
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Photo: Mairie 17eme
Paris has been on “yellow warning” for flooding since Wednesday when the first flood prevention methods were introduced along the River Seine.
This included the dismantling of sports facilities and other structures.
It is predicted that levels will stabilise early next week and although the authorities are concerned about safety, the flood isn't expected to reach 2016 levels when the river reached a staggering 6.1 metres.
