Southwestern France was hit by heavy flooding on Monday following days of torrential rain. Several other regions, including eastern Paris, were on flood alert ahead of a cold snap expected later this week.

The worst flooding was in Saintes, where the river Charente stood at a near-record level of 6.2 meters (20 feet).

Hundreds of people were evacuated as water seeping into cellars knocked out power supplies. Local authorities laid beams on cinder blocks so residents could walk from flooded houses to dry land. Fire brigade chief Pascal Leprince also said his services had evacuated about 400 people in Saintes, and he estimated that up to 800 had left their houses on their own.

The France Meteo weather service put seven departments on flood alert Monday, including Charente-Maritime, two areas along the Loire river, the Somme and Oise regions in northern France and the Seine-et-Marne region east of Paris.

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