Heavy floods devastate Southwestern France

Severe weather this weekend in Europe has exacerbated major flooding across southwestern France and other regions including eastern Paris on Monday.

The town of Saintes, 115 km north of Bordeaux, was hit the hardest as the Charente river flooded the highest level of approx. 20ft with water rising over to waist level in many areas. Several hundreds of residents living near rivers were evacuated after power was cut off due to water leaks into the cellars, according to Reuters.

Local authorities placed beams on concrete blocks for residents to cross the flooded areas amidst extreme alerts. Floodwaters also devastated many vineyards and orchards in the region.

Though the floodwater levels are falling, Charente river waters are not expected to drop until Wednesday. The France Meteor weather service had warned of flood and snow, placing 10 areas around the country on alert on Sunday. Seven sectors have been put on alert including Charente-Maritime, two areas along the Loire River, the Somme and Oise regions in northern France and the Seine-et-Marne region east of Paris.

Many parts of the Seine river bank in Paris were isolated for days after the river overflowed for a five days straight. However, water levels stabilized at 4.35 meters yesterday morning.