Emile Zola 
Flood 

This novella, a work of fiction, is based on a real event. In June of 1875 in Toulouse, France, the Garonne River, after heavy rains, flooded the town killing hundreds. Grandfather Louis Rouben, who lives with his family, his children and grandchildren, and his brother and sister, is a successful farm owner with a large home. When cries of "The Garonne!, The Garonne"!, are heard throughout the town, the people barely have time to scramble to the upper floors of their homes. What happens is told in Zola’s classic style and is vividly and brutally descriptive. (Goodreads)