PARIS — Torrential rains across France and Germany left at least 16 people dead, drove thousands from their homes and forced the Louvre Museum to move its art treasures to higher ground.
The floodwaters snarled traffic in this French capital and forced the closure of several railway and Metro stations. The Louvre was closed as staff removed artworks from lower rooms threatened by the rising River Seine that runs next to the museum. Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece, the Mona Lisa, is located on an upper floor and did not have to be moved.
The Musée d'Orsay, also next to the Seine, was closed as well because of the raging river that winds through central Paris.
France's environment ministry said the Seine would rise Friday to 16 feet above its normal levels — the highest in 35 years — before starting to recede. With more rain expected, police raised the emergency alert level to the second highest, Orange, for areas near the Seine.
More than 20,000 people are without power in Paris and central France, French energy company Enedis said.
In southern Germany, at least seven people have died and flood damage is estimated at $15 million, according to the German government.
Claudia Galtes, 22, a student from Florida who is studying at the American University of Paris, said the water has not trapped her in her house, but she’s staying put for now.
“It feels a lot like winter right now. Everyone is wearing rain boots and raincoats. Everything is closed on the Seine. Workers are stacking sandbags to stop the flooding," she said. "The river is right next to me. Luckily I live on the 8th floor.”
Another student at the American University of Paris, William Dorn, 22, from South Carolina, said the floods aggravated what felt like a growing number of problems for Paris to deal with, including threatened Metro strikes, terrorism alerts and unseasonably cold weather.
"It makes me cautious to even book a trip to see friends in other cities in France or nearby countries. I’m worried my travel plans would be canceled,” he said.
Nicolas Lefevre, 44, the owner of Les Nautes, a bar and restaurant on the Seine's right bank, said the water rose very quickly. "On Wednesday, we walked in and found that we could no longer access the bar — then we couldn't do much more. Our feet were in the water, I could not send my staff into the water," he said.
"We didn't have the time to secure the terrace, it's impossible — they should have warned us three days ahead (of time)," he added. "The Left Bank is a real catastrophe, even containers from City Hall are floating."
Lefevre, whose business is located in a former customs house that collected taxes from boats entering Paris, said customers trapped in their homes are ordering beer and wine now in hopes of imbibing later.
"All of our network is buying beer at the moment to help us," he said. "As soon as the water recedes, they can come to pick up their beer and we will celebrate."
Contributing: Angela Waters in Berlin
