""In Paris, many people believe they are spared because they live far from the Seine, or on high ground. "However, an exceptional flood like the one in 1910 can affect all neighbourhoods, through a cascading effect," Bénédicte Cadalen, a representative from the city's crisis management department, told the French press. If a similar disaster were to take place now, it could affect up to 700,000 people across the city, including those who do not live directly along the river - flooding cellars, halting transport and causing power outages and mass evacuations."
"Paris has had two recent instances of the Seine flooding - in 2016 and 2018. "[These floods] provided a good idea of what can happen when the Seine goes up to seven metres. Above that, we're entering science fiction," Ziad Touat, the head of Crisotech, the organisation that designed Monday's exercise, told Le Figaro."
"After running simulations of what a 50C day could do to the city, on Monday, local authorities launched an exercise to prepare for the damage that severe flooding could inflict on the city. How are they simulating the disaster? Local authorities have asked 60 people to take part in the role-play exercise, which will be in the 4th arrondissement from 8.30am to 5.30pm on Monday."
Local authorities in Paris conducted a role-play exercise to prepare for a severe '100-year' Seine flood modeled on the 1910 disaster when water reached 8.62 metres at Pont d'Austerlitz. The scenario assumes a slow rise in water levels that limits immediate danger but produces cascading impacts across neighbourhoods. Up to 700,000 people could be affected, with flooded cellars, halted transport, power outages and mass evacuations. Recent floods in 2016 and 2018 showed effects up to seven metres, while higher levels would be far more destructive. The exercise, designed by Crisotech, involved 60 participants including emergency services and residents in the 4th arrondissement.
Read at The Local France
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