The Seine River rising to the occasion!
So you can appreciate the photo, you need to know I measure 5’7’. Here I am standing on Rue de Lille by the Museum of the Legion of Honour. The marking on the wall indicates how high the Seine rose in that area of Paris...
Through the winter of 1909-1910, rainfall greater than usual saturated the grounds and filled rivers around Paris. In January 1910, the Seine river reached the levels of its banks, and by 28 January, it had risen up to 8.62 meters (28.28 feet) above its normal level...
While the flood only lasted a week, it took another six weeks for the Seine to return to its usual level. During that week, Paris kind of looked like Venice and the police and military used boats to rescue people.
The flood caused nearly half a billion francs of that time of damages - multiply that figure by three today. Surprisingly, no death was reported!