Despite several tens of other millimeters of rain expected in certain regions that have already been heavily watered, civil security authorities no longer expect floods as significant as those observed on Monday.
Tuesday afternoon, major flooding was still to be deplored around the Ottawa River, Quesnel Bay and around the North River, just under five kilometers upstream from the Canadian National Bridge in the Saint -Jerome.
About ten other watercourses were still considered to be in moderate flooding and nearly twenty others in minor flooding. Public security, however, is monitoring.
On the side of Environment Canada, some regions are still affected by a rain warning.
In the Baie-St-Paul sector, already affected by powerful floods, 10 to 20 millimeters of rain are still expected by Wednesday evening.
“During the last 36 hours, this sector has received between 70 and 100 millimeters of rain, possibly a little more in the mountainous areas, which explains the swelling of the river there. It’s really concentrated there and a little further north, towards Saint-Urbain,” explains André Cantin, meteorologist at Environment Canada.
In the Lachute and Saint-Jérôme sector, 15 to 30 millimeters of rain should fall by Wednesday evening, all accompanied by a risk of thunderstorms in the afternoon on Tuesday.
“In the Laurentians and Lanaudière, we have received between 50 and 75 millimeters since the beginning of the weekend, and there is a band of showers, currently located just west of the metropolitan area, which will move during the day to reach [ces deux régions] during the afternoon and evening,” added Mr. Cantin.
A total of 30 to 50 millimeters of rain should also fall on Forillon Park and in the Gaspé sector, indicates Environment Canada, which also forecasts precipitation of 20 to 30 millimeters in the Sept-Îles and Port sector. -Cartier.
The worst is behind, however, says Joshua Ménard-Soares, civil security adviser at the Ministry of Public Security.
“The situation should stabilize,” he said in a telephone interview. In the Lanaudière region, these are watercourses that react very quickly. When there is precipitation, the water level and flow increase very quickly, but the reverse is also true. The decline can be very rapid. »
Thus, the good weather expected in the middle of the week should allow the rivers to return to their beds, even if the rain which could continue to fall will slow down the process. “Most of the rain has already fallen; it will be little compared to what we received, and what we anticipate is that the rivers will go up a little, but not as much as Monday, ”says Mr. Ménard-Soares.
Several cities in a state of emergency
According to the Ministry of Public Security, the municipalities of Chertsey, Saint-Côme, Saint-Jean-de-Matha and Mandeville, in Lanaudière; Fort-Coulonge, in Outaouais; and Baie-Saint-Paul, in the Charlevoix region, have declared a local state of emergency, while other municipalities have launched their emergency measures.
Around 11:30 a.m., the municipality of Saint-Côme, in Lanaudière, lifted the evacuation notice issued Monday to residents of Domaine Beaudry and Domaine du Lac France given the drop in the water level and the securing of the King’s Lake Dam. In addition, traffic is restored on row 7.
” Yesterday [lundi], it was impressive. The water level rose so fast! commented in a telephone interview Mariève Paradis, co-owner of Ascension sport.
The mother of the family indicates that barely a week ago, “there was about a foot and a half of snow in the yard, and there, nothing more”.
“It’s really the hot weather of the last few weeks and the rain that have caused the water level to rise quickly,” she continues. It’s unheard of: even the mayor said he had never seen that, that people have lived in this area for more than 50 years and that it had never happened! »
“I am ten minutes maximum from the village, comments for her part Chantal Arseneault. I can’t get groceries or other errands unless I take a big, big detour, the streets are really… There are places split in two. »
According to Stéphanie Forest-Lanthier, regional director of civil security for Montreal and Laval, in support of her colleague in charge of the Laurentians and Lanaudière, approximately 90 residences are flooded and 300 others isolated, and this, in each of these regions where 30 and 19 municipalities were respectively affected. More than a hundred people were also evacuated.
“Everyone is really vigilant, explains Mr.me Forest Lanthier. We tour the municipalities, where people deploy security measures. »
The main challenge remains the closure of a hundred roads, flooded or damaged. “We ask the population to respect the instructions and the checkpoints which are there to ensure safety”, she specifies.
Great show of solidarity
If Mariève Paradis is not affected, she still spent Monday afternoon filling sandbags to help people likely to be flooded by the flood waters.
“Afterwards we went around the village to see if people needed help, says Mme Heaven. There is really a great outpouring of solidarity. Many people offered their help or even their chalet for free for disaster victims. That’s nice to look at. »
This is the case of Chantal Arseneault, who published an ad to offer her rental property to disaster victims, but no one had raised their hand.
In a press briefing, Premier François Legault indicated that the minister responsible for the Lanaudière region, Caroline Proulx, was on the ground to help the victims.
He also urged all Quebecers living in flooded municipalities or near a watercourse to be cautious.
“The watchword is safety. It can be powerful the water and the current when it is unleashed. We must not take unnecessary risks and we must make sure that everyone is safe and that we stay away from these places. I ask everyone to be careful,” said the Prime Minister.
This dispatch was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta Exchange and The Canadian Press for the news.