Residents of a Potton campground in the Eastern Townships were contemplating a very sad sight on Wednesday, the rising waters having left behind their ravaged trailers and their precious possessions in a total mess.
“The floor of my neighbor’s trailer was completely flooded, it is full of mud. It’s a total loss […] we are still talking about more than 20,000 dollars gone,” laments Martin Parent, a seasonal resident of the Havre des Îles campground located about an hour from Sherbrooke.
Courtesy Francis Joyal
Fridge, chairs, gazebos, tents, tables… nothing resisted the torrents of the Missisquoi River, which came out of bed overnight from Monday to Tuesday. In total, about fifteen campers were evacuated urgently, unheard of for the regulars of the place.
“I wasn’t there when the water started to rise, but I would have liked to be able to do something,” explains François Bineau, who is coping with his second disaster of the year.
The man, who lost a large part of his belongings in a residential fire in the winter, was trying this time to salvage what he could from his flooded trailer.
Chairs and canvases are drying on the ground while a lot of wet debris is still visible around.
Courtesy Francis Joyal
Expected rain
On Wednesday, water accumulation was still very present on the lower part of the campground, so much so that frogs and minnows were swimming between the vehicles. Much to the chagrin of campers, more rain is expected for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, according to Environment Canada.
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“We’re a little left in the dark, we don’t know what the next few days have in store for us, so we’re emptying as much as possible,” comments Martin Parent, who came to help his neighbors tow their trailer.
The holidays of this chef from the health network have completely fallen through because of the floods. His tent and all his camping gear were swept away by the torrents. One week before his summer vacation, he will have to replace $750 worth of camping equipment.
“It’s a real mess […] but we are trying to save the furniture, ”he dropped, resigned.
Stabilization
It was time to clean up in the municipality of the Township of Potton, where a state of emergency had been declared the day before.
“I’m not worried right now, we’re only announcing 25 millimeters, but if there was a shower like the one we’ve already had, it would be something else,” explains Jason Sherrer, the director of public services for the city. municipality of Potton in Estrie.
Two roads were still closed to traffic on Wednesday, including the popular 243 which suffered a subsidence.
On Wednesday, several municipalities were still on high alert, including the City of Sherbrooke, which however announced that the level of the Saint-François River was “gradually recovering” and that the majority of the 458 evacuees had been able to return to their homes. . For the municipalities of Weedon, Eastman and Bolton-Est, the situation is “stable”, but certain arteries remain closed.
Minister Bonnardel also announced the establishment of a general financial assistance program to help affected municipalities and disaster victims. The amount has not yet been announced.