Several regions of Quebec are under rain warnings, including some that could receive up to 120 millimeters by the end of the day on Tuesday. Already, around 500 people had to be evacuated to Sainte-Brigitte-de-Laval, in the Capitale-Nationale region, due to the flooding of the Montmorency River.
In the Capitale-Nationale, Centre-du-Québec and Estrie regions, no less than 80 to 120 mm of rain are expected by the end of the day.
“These unusually high quantities risk causing flash floods, flooding, landslides and water accumulation on roads,” warns Environment Canada.
Between 50 to 70 mm of rain are also expected by the end of the day in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Beauce, eastern Montérégie and Haute-Côte-Nord.
This territory is the most impacted by precipitation, so we closely monitor the waterways in this sector and we stay on the lookout to be proactive if ever something happens.
Joshua Ménard-Suarez, spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Security
A situation under surveillance
At the end of the evening Monday, no consequence had yet been listed on the territory, said Mr. Ménard-Suarez. “It’s more aware of the day of [mardi] that we won’t be informed, the time that the rain accumulates. »
In Baie-Saint-Paul, where the memory of the devastating floods of May is still fresh in the memory, the municipality wanted to reassure its residents in an online publication. “Our teams are on the ground in lookout mode and monitor the water levels in our waterways. We are told that we have nothing to worry about, ”we are assured.
The Yamaska River and the Saint-Charles River have the potential to be in a “medium flood” state by Tuesday evening. “It is still hypothetical since we cannot know how many millimeters of rain will fall on these rivers”, says Joshua Ménard-Suarez.
On Twitter, Quebec Premier François Legault said he was monitoring the situation closely, given “large amounts of rain [qui] are expected in several regions over the next few hours.” “I ask all Quebecers to be careful,” he added.
Preventive evacuations
In Sainte-Brigitte-de-Laval, north of Quebec, the flooding of the Montmorency River has already forced the preventive evacuation of 220 residences where nearly 500 people live, in several sectors of the municipality.
Around 5:30 p.m., the flow of the Montmorency River had reached 400 m3/s and the Center d’expertise hydrique du Québec (CEHQ) predicted that it would climb up to 905 m3/s, which would be a record, according to the City’s website. In comparison, on December 25, 2020, the river’s flow had then reached a historic level of 800 m3/s, we specify.
In addition to the overflow of rivers, potential landslides worry the MSP. “It’s much more unpredictable than the rivers, which we are able to observe. While landslides, there are not always signs that it will happen, ”explains Joshua Ménard-Suarez.
The latter also calls on citizens to be attentive and to notify their municipality if they notice “abnormalities” on their land, such as bulges in the ground or the appearance of cracks, signs of ground movement. “It helps a lot, since the municipalities cannot go around their entire territory to look at this,” he says.