Paris prepares for another great flood

An emergency simulation drill is underway in Paris, to see how the French capital would cope if the Rivers Seine and Marne burst their banks. They are preparing for the possibility of a major flood – on the scale of city’s Great Flood of 1910.

The exercise will test decision making and coordination between city’s authorities.

Nobody knows when, or even if, another big flood will happen.

Another Paris flood could cover up to 500 square kilometers, affecting more than 800,000 people. Power cuts would plunge over a million families into darkness and thousands would need to be evacuated to emergency shelters.

In 1955 the Seine and Marne overflowed onto the streets of Paris, and more recently in 1979 the rivers rose to near record highs.

If the rivers burst their banks today, repairing the damage would cost in the region of 20 billion euros.

The French authorities need to make sure that, if another great flood does hit, their emergency plans will run as smoothly as possible.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service - if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at http://ift.tt/jcXqJW.

from euronews http://ift.tt/1p3ghVq
via Defense News