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WEATHER

Torrential rain pounds Paris leaving Metro stations and roads flooded

Thunderstorms and heavy rain pounded the French capital on Sunday night and Monday morning leaving Metro stations closed and roads flooded.

Published: 10 July 2017 09:27 CEST
Torrential rain pounds Paris leaving Metro stations and roads flooded
Photo: Twitter/AntoinedeP

A violent two-hour storm struck the city late Sunday, forcing the closure of about 15 stations due to flooding.

Many stations reopened Monday morning and traffic began as normal, the Paris transport authority, the RATP, said.

But then the downpours returned again as more storms hit the capital, flooding roads and causing more Metro stations to close.

The whole of the capital was affected but the 15th and 13th arrondissements were said to be the hardest hit.

Three stations:  Voltaire, Quai de la Rapée and Maubert-Mutualité were still closed on Monday morning, while Paris transport chiefs RATP said most services were running as normal although services on Line 6 may take a while to return to normal.

The national weather service Meteo France placed 12 departments (see map below, including those in the greater Paris region, on a 24-hour “orange alert” for heavy rains and electrical storms.

According to France's weather service Sunday night's downpour saw 50mm fall in an hour  – the most rainfall in just one hour in the month of July since the year 1880. 

The city fire brigade said it had received 1,700 emergency calls during the night and had intervened in 87 cases, mainly to pump out flooded cellars. They called on the public only to make calls if there was a real emergency.

On Monday people tried to make it to work although many were hampered by either flooded roads which made driving hazardous or closures to Metro stations.

Underground car parks were flooded but firefighters were simply unable to deal with the amount of calls coming in.

PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Published: 14 February 2024 13:01 CET
Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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