We now know the identity of one of the two people swept away by the water in Rivière-Éternité. This is Pascale Racine, a woman in her forties from Quebec. While traveling in the area, she had gotten out of her vehicle to remove debris from Notre-Dame Street when the road caved in.
What there is to know
- Residents of Rivière-Éternité, in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, suffered land subsidence and flash floods on Saturday due to torrential rains accompanying a tornado alert;
- Around 1:30 p.m., three people who were removing debris from Notre-Dame Street were swept away by the Éternité River;
- A 40-year-old was found quickly and is still in hospital;
- The search continues Monday for the two other people still missing;
- A state of emergency was declared on Saturday evening and some 400 citizens were evacuated.
The news, first reported by The Journal of Quebecwas confirmed at The Press Monday by a police source familiar with the matter. Mme Racine has not been seen since Saturday, when many landslides riddled Route 170, linking the St. Lawrence to Lac Saint-Jean. Another man, whose identity has not yet been confirmed, is also still missing.
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Pascale Root
Everything indicates that the fifty-year-old who was found shortly after by the authorities, before being transported to a hospital, was traveling with Pascale Racine at the time of the events. Jean-Philippe Caty would have suffered numerous injuries while trying to save the life of his partner, but in vain.
At a press conference on Monday, Sergeant Hugues Beaulieu, spokesman for the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), refused to confirm these identities, nevertheless mentioning that the two victims did not live in the Rivière-Éternité region.
The search continued all day Monday with two helicopters, nautical teams, walkers and about twenty members of the Quebec Association of Search and Rescue Volunteers crisscrossing the area. Divers from the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) were also on site to carry out seabed surveys.
Despite the large workforce, the task is very difficult, explained Mr. Beaulieu. “The Eternity River flows a kilometer or two further into the Saguenay River, so it’s really there [qu’on cherche], but what you have to understand is that the Éternité river does not go to the Saguenay river in one go. It really is a long snake with lots of branches. It’s a colossal job that the police have to do, ”explained the sergeant.
Still a lot to do
The mayor of Rivière-Éternité, Rémi Gagné, for his part acknowledged on Monday that there is still “a lot of work to do” before thinking of reintegrating the hundreds of people who had to be evacuated since Saturday.
“You have to check if the ground is good,” reasoned the elected official. “We must also check whether the septic tanks are compliant so as not to cause pollution, before giving our ok. And you have to go check in the houses, in the basements […] and at least give drinking water, because currently, the evacuated sectors, they do not have drinking water”, summarized Mr. Gagné.
On Sunday, the Sûreté du Québec had already carried out the evacuation by helicopter of 94 people who were at the campsite of the Society of Outdoor Establishments of Quebec (SEPAQ), in the Parc du Fjord-du-Saguenay, isolated by the collapse of rue Notre-Dame. Shortly before, some 133 other vacationers had been evacuated by sea shuttle to La Baie.
In Rivière-Éternité, 48 adults and six children living in 34 residences also had to be evacuated to be relocated to a hotel or to relatives, as the case may be. The state of emergency was declared on Saturday evening in the municipality.
A bypass
On Monday, the administration of Mayor Rémi Gagné also confirmed that the Ministry of Transport will set up a “bypass” in the coming days for emergency and priority transport. The objective would be to deliver this emergency infrastructure by Tuesday, at the end of the day.
“For citizens, a temporary lane for traffic will be put in place, but we do not know the timeframe for completion at this time. It could take several days. As soon as we have the information, we will keep you informed, ”added the City in a press release, Monday evening.
It is still unknown when and if Route 170 will be able to reopen. A geotechnical team from the Ministry of Transport was sent to the site to determine this. “For the reconstruction, we are not there yet. But if we rebuild, is it strong enough? That’s the question we have to ask ourselves, “explained Sunday to The Press the minister responsible for the region, Andrée Laforest.
The municipality of Rivière-Éternité also asked citizens on Monday not to circulate in the prohibited areas “so as not to interfere with the work of the various stakeholders” on site.
According to Environment Canada, Rivière-Éternité received 130 mm of rain in two hours on Saturday, a first in the region according to Ms.me Laforest. SEPAQ has announced that the Baie-Éternité sector of Parc national du Fjord-du-Saguenay is closed until further notice and that customers holding a reservation in the coming days will be contacted to postpone their stay or obtain a refund. .
With The Canadian Press