A selection of postcards showing the effects of the flooding in Paris in January - March 1910.
In the winter of 1909-1910, Paris and the surrounding area experienced higher than normal rainfall which saturated the ground and filled rivers to overflowing. In January 1910, Parisians were lulled into a false sense of security because the Seine's water level had risen and fallen again in December. Consequently, they largely ignored reports of mudslides and flooding occurring upriver. They were also slow to notice warnings signs within the city as the Seine's water level rose eight meters higher than normal, its water began to flow much faster than normal, and large amounts of debris appeared.
An illustrated Sunday supplement of the then-prominent French newspaper "Le Petit Parisien".
Courtesy Getty Images
By late January, the Seine flooded Paris with water pushing upwards from overflowing sewers and subway tunnels, then seeping into basements through fully saturated soil and from the sewer system that got backed up, which led to the basements of several buildings sustaining damage. The waters did not overflow the river's banks within the city, but flooded Paris through tunnels, sewers and drains. In neighbouring towns both east and west of the capital, the river rose above its banks and flooded the surrounding terrain directly.
Winter floods were a normal occurrence in Paris but, on 21 January, the river had begun to rise more rapidly than normal. This was seen as a sort of spectacle where people were actually standing in the streets watching the water rise in the Seine. Over the course of the following week, thousands of Parisians were forced to evacuate their homes as water infiltrated buildings and streets throughout the city, shutting down much basic infrastructure.
Police, firefighters and soldiers moved through waterlogged streets in boats to rescue stranded residents from second-storey windows and to distribute aid. Refugees gathered in makeshift shelters in churches, schools and government buildings. Although the water threatened to overflow the tops of the quay walls lining the river, workmen were able to keep the Seine back with hastily built levees.
Once water invaded the Gare d'Orsay rail terminal, its tracks soon sat under more than a metre of water. To continue moving throughout the city, residents travelled by boat or across a series of wooden walkways built by government engineers and civilians.
On 28 January the water reached its maximum height at 8.62 metres (28.28 feet) above its normal level. In March, the Seine finally returned to normal levels and the Paris Metro reopened in April.
The flooding had lasted for two months and taken the lives of five people. Estimates of the flood damage reached some 400 million francs, or $1.5 billion in today's money.
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