French President Francois Hollande declared a state of natural disaster in the worst-hit areas of the country at the Congress of mayors of France, held in Paris yesterday after the River Seine burst its banks and swept through the French capital.
The Louvre art gallery has been closed to enable the evacuation of art works stored in basements, where around 250,000 objects are kept, while the Musée d'Orsay has put its flood prevention plan into action - both museums are located a few meters from each side of the Seine.
More than 21,000 homes were left without power in the Paris and Loiret regions yesterday, while the Lille Metro was partially cut off because of the heavy rain.
The waters are expected to peak at a level of almost six meters today - however, the floods are not expected to top the 6.18 meter water levels seen during flooding in 1982, or the 8.62 meter average of the historic 1910 flood in Nemours, south of Paris, seen as the worst of modern times.
At least 11 people have died in the flooding across France and Germany - nine of them in Germany, with Poland and Belgium also badly affected.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has announced the creation of an exceptional victim support fund, including a special fund to support farmers and said the Government would help accelerate natural disaster procedures.
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