French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has announced his government will set up an emergency fund to help people who lost everything in the floods that wreaked havoc in many areas of Paris as the Seine and Loire rivers breached their banks. At least eighteen people were dead from the flooding in Germany, Austria, France and Belgium.

After a meeting with his ministers, he said that "return to normality will take time" and "solidarity is called for", the Associated Press reported.

More from IBTimes UK

He added that the fund will be credited with "several tens of thousands of Euros" so that quick help could be provided to people who had no resources.

On 5 June, almost 7,000 French homes had no electricity. The Musee O'Dorsay and Louvre Museum were forced to shut on 3 June as River Seine rose up to 6.1m, the highest level since 1982.

The Louvre will remain closed until 7 June. Rail network and roads severely damaged in the flooding remain shut too. Insurers put the damage caused by the flooding at €600m (£472m) and the figure could eventually rise to a billion euros.

Before the floods inundated Paris and its surrounding areas, the government was already dealing with a wave of transport strikes against labour reforms. President Francois Hollande indicated that he was anxious to resolve the problems before the Euro 2016 football championship begins.

He told French radio on Sunday, "No-one would understand if the trains or the planes prevented the smooth transport of spectators".

Air France pilots have threatened to go on strike on 11 June, the date on which Euro 2016 begins.

Paris floods
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls speaks during a press conference after a meeting with ministers to review the situation following floods in France, on 6 June 2016 in Paris DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images
Euro 2016