Hundreds of soldiers deployed in furious fight against floods

MONTREAL — More than 400 soldiers headed to various regions of Quebec on Saturday to help cope with the heavy flooding caused by unrelenting rain in Central and Eastern Canada in recent days.

The Canadian Forces personnel were deployed to western and central Quebec and in and around the Montreal area as water levels continued to threaten hundreds of residences.

“People are tired psychologically and municipal authorities are running on empty in terms of resources,” said Eric Houde, director general of Quebec’s civil security services.

More than 130 communities in the province have been hit by the flooding, with an estimated 1,500 homes affected and 850 people forced to evacuate.

Quebec Environment Minister David Heurtel said Friday that rain in the province was forecast to reach historic levels — “beyond the worst scenarios that have occurred in the last 55 years.”

Residents in Ile-Bizard, an island just northwest of Montreal that has been badly affected by the flooding, were still trying to cope Saturday with the rising water levels.

Steve Lapierre, who lives in a basement apartment, said he was awakened by a neighbour who told him about the flooding.

“I got up, and I immediately stepped into water,” said Lapierre. “It was already too late.”

The floors in all his rooms were submerged and his upstairs neighbours allowed him to store his more valued possessions with them.

On the other side of the street, Dora Soares’ family had built a wall out of sand bags, a tactic that at least helped keep their garage dry.

“Panic is starting to set in,” said Soares. “The rain and the thunder aren’t helping. It’s very worrying.

In the eastern Ontario village of Cumberland, Christina Hajjar says the main levels of most homes in her neighbourhood are under water.

“Our houses are pretty much goners,” Hajjar, whose family lost two homes to flooding, said in an interview Saturday evening.

Wet weather also swept across Atlantic Canada on Saturday, with waterlogged southwestern New Brunswick expected to bear the brunt of the downpour.

Environment Canada meteorologist Steve Fougere said 30 to 50 millimetres of rain had already soaked New Brunswick and that another 50 millimetres was expected to drench the southwestern area of the province. The rest of the province was set to see another 20 to 40 millimetres.