(Montreal) The spring freshet continues in Quebec and public security is asking citizens to pay particular attention to landslides, while about a hundred municipalities are affected by flooding, particularly in the regions north of the Saint -Laurent, from the Outaouais to the Capitale-Nationale.
The increases in the flow and levels of the rivers following the precipitation of the last few days have flooded nearly 1,000 residences and isolated about 3,000, according to the latest information sent to the Ministry of Public Security by the municipalities.
Dry weather is expected in several regions in the coming days, “which will encourage an improvement in the situation”, said spokesman for the Ministry of Public Security Joshua Ménard-Suarez, who however issued a warning .
“One of the issues that is difficult to monitor and which is a corollary of flooding is landslides, so it is worth inviting citizens to pay attention to their land, if they notice a crack that does not was not present before, or if they actually observe a landslide. »
Residents who notice a landslide are encouraged to contact their municipality.
“Landslides have a behavior that can be surprising, in the sense that you don’t know exactly where it’s going to trigger, so as soon as you can see a clue, you have to contact the municipality. »
Joshua Ménard-Suarez explained that the next few days will be favorable for a decline.
“On the other hand, what we are monitoring most closely in the immediate future is the Ottawa River, the Lac des Deux-Montagnes, the Rivière des Mille-Îles, the Rivière des Prairies and the river up to Lac Saint Pierre. These are rivers where the decline will be slower to set in, because larger rivers react more slowly. »
In total, 109 municipalities are affected by the floods and several, including Baie-Saint-Paul, in the Charlevoix region, have declared a state of emergency.
Information sessions open to the public and a temporary office to open a request for financial assistance and compensation will be held in Baie-Saint-Paul on Thursday evening, at Aréna Luc-et-Marie-Claude.
On Monday, the Gouffre River came out of its bed, causing significant damage in several areas of Baie-Saint-Paul.
Two bodies, presumably those of the firefighters who went missing in the wake of the floods, were found Wednesday in Saint-Urbain, in Charlevoix.
Several roads are closed to automobile traffic in the region, including Route 132, on which heavy vehicles are however permitted for the local and regional delivery of essential goods.
The Ministry of Transport asks motorists to “under no circumstances take a blocked road” and to consult Quebec 511 for road conditions.
