More than 400 soldiers help with Quebec 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.
Canadian Forces personnel were deployed to western and central Quebec and around Montreal 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 about 1,500 homes affected and 850 people forced to move to safety.
In western Montreal, 47 residents of a rehabilitation centre were forced to leave the premises Saturday as a precautionary measure.
Quebec Environment Minister David Heurtel said on Friday that rain in the province was forecast to reach historic levels.
Residents in Ile-Bizard, 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,” Lapierre said. “It was already too late.”
The floors in all his rooms were submerged.
Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard visited the Montreal-area community of Rigaud Saturday afternoon and urged people to listen to authorities if they recommend they leave their homes.
“I understand that people are hesitant to leave their residences,” he said. “But I would like to reiterate my appeal. If you’re asked to leave your home, do so. It’s for your own safety.”
In the eastern Ontario village of Cumberland, Christina Hajjar said the main levels of most homes in her neighbourhood were under water. “Our houses are pretty much goners,” Hajjar, whose family lost two homes to flooding, said Saturday evening.
But she said the community is working to save other houses.
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 mm was expected to drench the southwestern area of the province. The rest of the province was set to see another 20 to 40 mm.
Meanwhile, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island were expected to be hit with 30 to 40 mm overnight, Fougere said.
“It’s springtime and that means lots of rain and showers,” he said of the low-pressure system tracking over southern Ontario and Quebec delivering prolonged periods of rain to the Maritimes. “This is absolutely normal spring weather.”