Floods in central France: more than 1,000 people evacuated Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. A prison in Saran, central France had to be evacuated, and cars on the nearby A10 motorway were brought to a standstill by flooding. One car that had tried to make it through was half-sunk in the water. IMAGES