Aid programs must adapt, says Quebec premier
Experience from 2017 Gatineau flooding spurs preparations for this year’s surge
Governments need to adapt compensation programs as climate change increases the frequency of serious flooding, Quebec Premier François Legault said Monday.
While visiting the Pointe- Gatineau neighbourhood, Legault pointed to a cycle in which flood victims were compensated for damage to their properties only to have the same properties flood again a few years later.
As part of a Quebec government disaster relief program announced April 15, cumulative flood compensation will be capped at $100,000. After that, residents could receive up to $200,000 to move away from flood-prone areas.
Legault also praised the hard work of the military, volunteers, provincial authorities and homeowners like Linda and Liane Landry in battling the rising waters.
The Landrys spent much of Monday morning on the front porch of the duplex they share in Pointe- Gatineau, surrounded by sandbags as they looked out at Ottawa River waters churning past them. They had already cleared their basement of belongings.
With sunlight spilling onto the porch and the temperature reaching 18 C on Monday afternoon, conditions were far different from the relentless rain on Friday and Saturday. A total of 40 millimetres of rain and melting snow caused the Ottawa River to swell and flood different areas throughout the National Capital Region, including Gatineau.
The flooding forced 98 people from their Gatineau homes as of Monday morning, including 17 children. Once they had registered at a disaster relief centre, those displaced would be provided with temporary housing.
The Landrys remember the damage and pain that flooding can cause. In 2017, they admit, they weren’t prepared.
“It was like we were on an island … you’re in complete denial,” Linda Landry said as she stood outside their house on Jacques-Cartier Street, pointing to where the water level reached two years ago.
Those flood waters found their way into the house, forcing the Landrys to tear out and replace chunks of walls, the kitchen, electrical systems and the deck. They have yet to put a total price tag on the cost of repairs since they’re still finishing that work.
Latest estimates are that water levels this year should peak by Saturday, still about 25 centimetres below the level of the 2017 flood. Until then, area residents face a stomach-churning wait.
The Landrys have a rowboat prepared for launch from their back porch.
“I’m not worried about damages. It’s the stress of waiting for it,” Linda Landry said. “It’s the worst feeling.”
Michel Lafleur, 59, who lives further down the road, also knows that feeling of dread.
The 2017 flood caused about $150,000 in damage to his house. Water nearly filled the basement, stopping just about an inch from the first floor, so an entirely new foundation was required.
Those repairs after the 2017 flood helped Lafleur stay in his current home, but many neighbours weren’t as fortunate, leading to vacant lots of rubble and dirt across the road.
“There’s houses that were here for 100 years and now they’re gone. The history is gone,” Lafleur said.
Lafleur said he felt more prepared this time and thought his city was, too, especially since the Canadian Armed Forces had already been called in to assist.
On Monday, members of the Royal 22nd Regiment stationed near Quebec City roamed flooded Gatineau streets in tanks, Light Armoured Vehicles and on foot. They bagged sand with volunteers and homeowners near rue Saint-Louis in Pointe-Gatineau, where the water level was highest.
Over at the intersection of SaintFrançois-Xavier and Blais roads, the water was roughly three feet deep in the middle of the roadway.
David Despins, who lives in a 16-unit residential complex near there, said memories of the 2017 flood were keeping him going.
Back then, water seeped into the electrical room in the basement of the complex, forcing residents out of their homes for three months, Despins said. “We suffered a lot.”
To do all they could to prevent that from happening again, residents of the complex have in recent days prepared walls of sandbags and plastic wrap.