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Dramatic Photos Show Impact Of Paris Flooding

The Seine river has reached dangerous levels.
By 

Reporter, HuffPost

and

Senior Photo Editor, HuffPost

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French firefighters evacuate residents, with a dog in tow, from a flooded area in Longjumeau, Paris, after days of almost nonstop rain caused flooding in the country.
Christian Hartmann / Reuters

Paris' Seine river has risen a whopping 5 meters -- about 16 feet -- above its normal level due to torrential rain and flooding that have ravaged the French capital and other parts of Europe this week. 

Photos show statues and lampposts almost submerged in water. Rafts were used to evacuate thousands of residents in certain parts of the city.

Authorities installed emergency flood barriers along the river on Thursday, and French Prime Minister Manuel Valls declared a state of emergency in the parts of the country most affected.

The storm is expected to reach its peak around midday Friday.

The Louvre Museum shut its doors earlier than usual on Thursday and plans to stay closed on Friday in order to evacuate works that risk being damaged by the rain, several outlets reported. The Musée d'Orsay will also close Friday.

Here's a look at the City of Light this week:

Charles Platiau / Reuters
A couple exchanges kisses on the banks of the Seine.
Pascal Rossignol / Reuters
A man trudges through flooded streets in central Paris.
Charles Platiau / Reuters
Padlocks representing love are seen in front of the Ile de la Cité, where a park is under water.
Thierry Orban via Getty Images
Water rises on roads near the Eiffel Tower.
Pascal Rossignol / Reuters
Rising waters have partially covered the Zouave statue on the Pont de l'Alma.
Thierry Orban via Getty Images
An abandoned bicycle was found along a Seine embankment.
GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT via Getty Images
Street signs near the Bir Hakeim bridge are almost totally submerged.
GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT via Getty Images
A man photographs the flooding river.
Charles Platiau / Reuters
Workers drag palm trees through the floods.
Jacky Naegelen / Reuters
Fog covers the top of the Eiffel Tower.

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Before You Go

France And Germany Floods
(01 of15)
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A policewoman stands near a car smashed against a building on May 31, 2016, in the village center of Braunsbach, Germany, following a ferocious flash flood the night before. The flood tore through Braunsbach, crushing cars, ripping corners off houses and flooding homes during a storm that hit southwestern Germany. Miraculously no one in Braunsbach was killed, though three people died as a result of the storm in other parts of the country. (credit:Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
(02 of15)
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A man looks at a flooded car on a street on May 30, 2016, in Oberhausen after a heavy storm. At least four people died and several more were injured in the south of Germany after torrential storms caused severe flooding, with a third person also feared dead, authorities said on Monday. (credit:Marcel Kusch/AFP/Getty Images)
(03 of15)
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A man stands among boulders, smashed trees and cars and other debris that cover a street May 31, 2016, in the village center of Braunsbach following a furious flash flood the night before. (credit:Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
(04 of15)
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A car is blocked in the middle of a flooded road on May 31, 2016, in Meung-sur-Loire southern Orleans, following heavy rainfalls, as the Loiret department is under flood alert and France's weather agency Meteo France maintained 18 departments under orange alert. (credit:Guillaume Souvant/AFP/Getty Images)
(05 of15)
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This photo shows a barge and a boat on the river Seine on Quai de la Tournelle after its banks became flooded following heavy rainfalls May 31, 2016, in Paris. (credit:Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images)
(06 of15)
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Rescuing firefighters patrol aboard a dinghy through the flooded town of Bruay-la-Buissiere, near Lens, northern France, on May 31, 2016, following heavy rainfalls. (credit:Denis Charlet/AFP/Getty Images)
(07 of15)
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Dark clouds hang over a grain field near Petersdorf, northeastern Germany, on May 30, 2016. (credit:Patrick Pleul/AFP/Getty Images)
(08 of15)
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People stuck in traffic walk along the A10 highway on May 31, 2016, in Saran, after it flooded due to heavy rainfall. The Loiret department is under red flood alert and France's weather agency Meteo France maintains 18 departments are under orange alert. (credit:Guillaume Souvant/AFP/Getty Images)
(09 of15)
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Cars are seen on May 31, 2016, amid rubble piled up by the floods after a thunderstorm in Braunsbach, southern Germany. Cleanup efforts started after violent storms with torrential rains caused severe flooding, killing four people the day before. (credit:Christoph Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images)
(10 of15)
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A woman stands next to her flooded house on May 31, 2016, in Meung-sur-Loire southern Orleans, following heaving rainfalls. (credit:Guillaume Souvant/AFP/Getty Images)
(11 of15)
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A fireman crosses a flooded road with a person on his back following heavy rainfalls on May 31, 2016, in Meung-sur-Loire southern Orleans, as the Loiret department is under flood alert. (credit:Guillaume Souvant/AFP/Getty Images)
(12 of15)
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People clear mud from a flooded store in the village center following a furious flash flood the night before on May 30, 2016, in Braunsbach, Germany. (credit:Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
(13 of15)
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Cars stand amid rubbish in a flooded street in Braunsbach, southern Germany, on May 30, 2016. Four people died and several more were injured in southern Germany after violent storms with torrential rains caused severe flooding, authorities said. (credit:Marijan Murat/AFP/Getty Images)
(14 of15)
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A picture taken on May 31, 2016, in southern Orleans shows a flooded road following heavy rainfalls that disrupted traffic on the A10 highway between Paris and Orleans. (credit:Guillaume Souvant/AFP/Getty Images)
(15 of15)
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Cars are seen in a flooded street in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Baden-Württemberg, southern Germany, after heavy rains hit the country on May 29, 2016. Three people died and several were injured after heavy rains in the country, officials said on May 30, 2016. (credit:Jonas Heilgeist/AFP/Getty Images)
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