Rigaud residents who ignore evacuation order will face fines

The town of Rigaud has announced that residents who “willingly ignore” an evacuation order that targets homes in its flood zones will face fines ranging from $1,000 to $5,000.

“The town reiterates to its citizens the importance of (the evacuation order) and the need to respect it as long as it is in effect,” reads the announcement on the Rigaud website.

“(The order) is in the interests of the safety (of citizens) and of the firefighters and other first responders who have worked tirelessly for days to help them.”

Reminding citizens that flood zones are being patrolled on land and from the air by the Sûreté du Québec, the town also points out that given the local water levels that have persisted for weeks, it cannot guarantee emergency services to evacuation zones should they be required.

Rigaud’s warning comes as Quebec’s emergency measures agency reported that as of Thursday night, a total of 187 Quebec municipalities had been affected by flooding, 4,485 properties damaged by rising water levels, 3,641 people had left their homes and 552 roads were either closed or at reduced capacity because of high water.

Closer to home, 288 homes were reported flooded and 154 people forced from their homes in the Montreal boroughs of Île-Bizard-Ste-Geneviève, Pierrefonds-Roxboro and Ahuntsic-Cartierville, as well as Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue.

The Quebec cabinet ministers tasked with overseeing the province’s response to the flooding said Friday that the situation seemed to be improving, albeit slightly.

Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux and Environment Minister David Heurtel had relatively positive news on Friday for those living in flood zones.

In western Quebec, the water levels had started to drop on the Ottawa River in the Gatineau area. In Montreal and Laval the levels of the Rivière des Prairies and the Rivière des Mille Îles were also beginning to subside.

While water levels on the Great Lakes had risen slightly, Heurtel stressed that it should not result in an increase in the water level on Lac Saint Louis.

In Quebec’s Mauricie region, where heavy rains had been predicted earlier this week, revised forecasts are calling for milder weather.

A total of 20 to 25 millimetres of rain is expected to fall between Friday and Monday and the winds are expected to become less strong.

Friday’s briefing was attended by Bernard Sévigny, head of the Union des municipalités du Québec, who announced a plan to mobilize municipalities not affected by flooding to lend a hand to those that were by providing personnel and technical support as well as equipment to those regions in need.