(Quebec) Nearly a week after the torrential rains that caused damage throughout southern Quebec, Premier François Legault visited Louiseville in Mauricie on Thursday to see the damage.
He is accompanied by the CAQ member for the constituency, Simon Allaire.
About 250 Louiseville residents were affected by the flooding, municipal spokesperson Guillaume St-Pierre said in an interview Wednesday with The Canadian Press. The surrounding rivers overflowed into fields that were unable to absorb all the water, he explained.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
Prime Minister François Legault meets with the mayor of Louiseville, Yvon Deshaies.
As a result, water rushed into the basements of residences. Even the municipal arena was flooded, while the drinking water line was broken due to a landslide. It has since been repaired and the water supply has returned to normal.
Teams of municipal employees from the City of Trois-Rivières came to lend a hand in Louiseville to pick up debris piled up in the streets by residents. In an interview with Radio-Canada, Mayor Yvon Deshaies even requested the intervention of the armed forces. On Tuesday, the government indicated that 14 municipalities were still in a state of emergency.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
Rainfall caused by tropical storm Debby reached 200 mm in 24 hours in places, causing numerous floods.
Rainfall caused by tropical storm Debby reached 200 mm in 24 hours in some places. The regions of Montreal, the Laurentians, Lanaudière and Mauricie were affected, in short a large part of southern Quebec.
At the height of the storm, Friday evening, no fewer than 550,000 Hydro-Québec subscribers were without electricity.
According to Public Security Minister François Bonnardel, a total of 86 municipalities were affected by the bad weather last weekend, but on Wednesday, there were still 34.
Also read ““Still a lot of work to do”, according to François Bonnardel”
There were also 38 flooded homes out of the 2,300 that were hit. There were 464 people evacuated.
In addition, nearly 170 roads were damaged. Highway 13 in Montreal was able to reopen Thursday morning, but more work will be needed in the coming weeks.
Also read “Dorval tunnel once again accessible to motorists”
A warning has been issued regarding possible landslides that may occur more frequently in clay soils. A crack, a bulge in a slope, a landslide and unusual water flow in a slope are anomalies that may precede a landslide.
The Union of Quebec Municipalities (UMQ) has called for more financial support for municipalities to implement climate adaptation measures
An additional 2 billion per year would be needed for all municipalities, argued Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante.
For Montreal alone, the mayor is demanding half of this amount. She also apologized for her absence during the storm. Debby.
The government has already set aside more than $5.6 billion for municipalities to improve their infrastructure and combat riverbank erosion.
Some disaster victims will be eligible for financial assistance under the General Disaster Financial Assistance Program, if they meet the eligibility criteria, the government announced.