MONTREAL — Thousands of people across Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick are facing several more days of flooding that has already been life-changing for many.
The most dire situation is in Ste-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, Que., a suburb west of Montreal that was inundated Saturday night after the Lake of Two Mountains burst through a natural dike.
More than 5,000 residents were forced to grab what essentials they could, including pets, and flee as waist-high water filled their streets and homes. Another 1,500 people were evacuated the following day.
Premier Francois Legault visited the scene yesterday and announced $1 million in immediate funding to the Red Cross to ensure the evacuees’ immediate needs are met. He said it was “almost a miracle” that everyone was safe.
The dike breach brought to 5,584 the total number of flooded homes in Quebec, with some 7,566 forced to evacuate.
In Ottawa, hundreds of military members joined more than 2,000 volunteers in preparing sandbags for properties threatened by flooding along the bloated Ottawa River.
Canadian Armed Forces personnel are also packing and stacking sandbags in central Ontario’s cottage country where flooding has prompted the declaration of states of emergency in the communities of Bracebridge, Muskoka Lakes, Huntsville and Minden Hills. And more rain is forecast for the region later this week.
Meanwhile, the forecast for southern New Brunswick calls for floodwaters to slowly recede in most areas this week, however, communities along the Saint John River from Fredericton to Saint John remain above flood stage.