On January 21, 1910, after months of above average rainfall, the Seine River carrying winter rains from its tributaries roared into Paris, pushing out of the sewers and subway tunnels, flooding the city with waters that rose 8.0 meters (26.3 feet) above its normal level.
There were no deaths reported in the catastrophe that is now known as the Great Flood of Paris, but it took 35 days for the waters to fully subside. Every year there is a one in 100 chance a flood of the magnitude of the 1910 event will occur again, but Paris wants to be prepared.
Wanting to be ready for such an event has led the country’s Urban Planning Institute (IAU) to organize Operation Sequena 2016, which started March 7, and will continue through March 18, reports the Independent.
“This is the first time an exercise of this scale has been carried out over a region the size of Ile-de-France,” Jean-Paul Kihl, secretary-general of the Paris security and defense zone, told The Local.
Kihl said the authorities wanted to make the scenario as real as possible, and while it may sound and look like a Hollywood disaster movie set, it is necessary because it will help to improve coordination between state and local authorities and those in the business world. It is intended to make the public more aware, too, because there is a possibility of a flood event happening again. No one knows when it will happen.
The simulation will be carried out as if the Seine River was rising at a rate of 59 centimeters a day until it reaches the height of the 1910 flood level. This will allow 900 emergency personnel, 150 police officers and 40 emergency vehicles to practice what they would do in a real flood emergency, including simulating the moving of artworks from museums, evacuation of hospitals, schools and businesses.
The IAU has even released a video that simulates the flooding and what would happen to the city’s iconic landmarks such as the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. Authorities estimate the damage to Paris could easily result in €30 billion ($33 billion) in material damages, according to Quartz.
