Floods Leave Paris Contemplating a Wetter Future
In Paris, where the Seine rose above 18 feet on Friday, river traffic has been interrupted and roads along the river banks remained closed.
“Because of climate change, we can expect floods in the Seine basin to be at least as frequent
as they are right now,” said Florence Habets, a senior researcher at the C. N.R.
The Seine River overflowed its banks again in Paris and several nearby cities this week, a mere 18 months after reaching its highest level since 1982.
“Beyond the emergency, this flooding phenomenon, which is more
and more recurrent in Paris, reminds us how important it is for our city to adapt to climate change,” she said in a tweet.
Although local officials said they were now prepared to face similar conditions, experts from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development estimated
that such a catastrophe could affect five million people and cost up to 30 billion euros, or about $37 billion.
In 1910, the Seine rose above 28 feet, giving Paris “the aspect of a beleaguered place,” according to a New York Times report of the time.