Share this Story: Flood update: Montreal declares a state of emergency Flood update: Montreal declares a state of emergency Mayor Valérie Plante declared a state of emergency and Rigaud's fire chief ordered all residents living in flooded areas to leave within 24 hours. Photo by John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette Article content After fighting floodwaters for more than a week, first responders in Montreal may soon be forced to fall back and start evacuating sections of the island. Montreal’s fire chief delivered that dire warning Friday afternoon after Mayor Valérie Plante declared a state of emergency on the island. If the forecasts are accurate and the downpour continues throughout the weekend, water will come crashing in. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Flood update: Montreal declares a state of emergency Back to video “Our dikes are perfectly adequate for now … nothing guarantees they won’t breach if the water continues to rise,” Montreal fire chief Bruno Lachance said. “The pressure at the base of the dikes is enormous. If the water rises by 30 centimetres, we may not be able to contain it.” The most threatened areas on the island include Roxboro-Pierreonds, Île-Bizard and Ahuntsic-Cartierville. “Either it would go over a dike, around it or through it, destroying it in one fell swoop, hitting 30, 40 or 50 houses. The state of emergency gives us a margin of error to react quickly.” Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content The fire department isn’t forcing evacuations yet and only 11 people have left their homes since the floods began a week ago. But Lachance warned that things could change in a flash. With rain set to batter the island in the coming days, water levels will continue to rise and push the city’s dikes to the brink. A state of emergency allows the fire department to spend additional money on relief efforts, to requisition people’s yards and force evacuations if needed. “The situation is stable right now, but we’re worried,” Plante said at a news conference in Pierrefonds. “It’s never our first choice to ask people to leave their homes, but we want them to be safe. That’s our first responsibility.” Firefighters, city workers and homeowners continued to trudge away on the front lines Friday. They stood waist-deep in the cold water, stacking sandbags as the rain and cold seeped into their bones. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Many hadn’t slept in days. Montreal’s city council will hold an emergency meeting in Roxboro-Pierrefonds Sunday. Meanwhile, in areas north and west of the city, water levels crept up to unprecedented levels Friday. Among the towns hardest hit was Lachute, about 60 kilometres northwest of Montreal, where the narrow Rivière du Nord, which feeds into the Outaouais River, had spilled over into quiet residential Filion St. — an area spared in the historic floods of 2017. “We have lived here since 1996, and it only flooded once and that was in 1998, and it was nowhere close to this level,” resident Marc Blais said from his front porch, where he was sheltered from the chilly rain. Authorities say the next 48 hours will be critical, especially for nearby Grenville-sur-le-Rouge, where the century-old Bell Falls dam near Lachute had overflowed and was in danger of failing. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content The Sûreté du Québec reported at 8 a.m. Friday that 75 people living downriver from the dam had been moved out of the area, 10 being flown out by helicopter. With a heavy rainfall warning, the concern was that the situation could quickly get worse. The evacuees are either staying with relatives or have been moved to higher ground in the village. Those unable to find accommodation there have been sent to the Lachute arena about 40 kilometres away. Despite repeated warnings from the SQ, Daniel Caron and his wife will not leave their home on the river banks. Caron says police told him ‘you’re own your own’ when he refused to leave. Since hearing the dam might give way, Caron and his wife started sleeping in shifts. “We don’t take our eyes off the river,” Caron said. “I’ve got spotlights pointed to it at night and we’re ready for the worst. … If anything happens, I’m a survivalist, I have a four-wheeler with tracks pointed up the mountain, we have a camp up there. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “I’m not leaving my dogs, my neighbour has dogs, we’re not leaving.” The dam is located about 15 kilometres north of the Outaouais River. On Friday morning, officials with Hydro-Québec said the Crown corporation was confident the structure — built in 1915 — would hold. A breach in the dam would send a surge into the Outaouais River and then into the St. Lawrence River. “The police tried to tell us there’d be a 25-foot wave coming at our house if the dam gives,” Caron said. “That’s only true for the people who live immediately below it. By the time the wave hits us, it’ll be four or five feet. I know this river, I’ve been here most my life.” There was cautious optimism on the ground in Lachute, where residents say the water had retreated a bit since Thursday. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Michael Decoste was holding the fort. He and an army of friends had put together a six-foot wall of sandbags around his home and that of his neighbours, an elderly couple. “We have more than 30,000 sandbags here,” he said. “Our neighbours are elderly, so they can’t do much to stop the water, but they have been cooking for us. They made us hamburgers and hotdogs. We had a good lasagna yesterday from the grocery store. We had 15 to 30 people here yesterday helping out, and they cooked for all of us.” A local neighbour was transporting Decoste and his father to and from the house in a front-end loader. While the situation looked grim, Decoste said there was only a half inch of water in the basement. “But the basement is finished anyway; all the sand under the house came up through the floor,” Decoste said. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Decoste said when it was at its highest on Thursday, the water level was less than a foot away from spilling over the wall of sandbags. He said he hoped the waters would recede soon, because keeping ahead of the flood was exhausting. “I haven’t slept in 72 hours,” he said. Up the street, local resident Jean Des Rosiers was shovelling sand into burlap sacs on Friday morning, the eighth straight day he volunteered to help residents in Lachute and nearby St-André-d’Argenteuil. “I’ve done hundreds by now,” Des Rosiers said. “Local residents are taking them all to reinforce the walls around their homes.” After school let out, about a dozen students from the nearby Laurentian Elementary School, an English-language school, joined Des Rosiers in filling the bags. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content In nearby Rigaud, fire chief Daniel Boyer used his provincially granted authority on Friday morning to order the evacuation of all flooded areas in Rigaud and Pointe-Fortune. So far, 685 people have left their homes. Photo by John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette “We’re now entering unknown territory,” Boyer told reporters during a press briefing buffeted by wind and rain. “We’re in the process of writing the textbook for the next floods that occur because we are on the verge of seeing water levels…that have never been recorded before.” Boyer said residents in the areas had 24 hours to leave their homes. “We’re not asking people.<doc-sep>Send this page to someone via email The City of Vaudreuil-Dorion, located off the western tip of the island of Montreal, is declaring state of emergency amid heavy rain and rising water levels in the area. The measure, which was announced Saturday morning, comes as historic flooding is underway in Quebec. Local authorities say it allows them to control traffic and issue an emergency evacuation order if needed. Mayor Guy Pilon told Global News that the town had a head start on flood preparations, but more help was still needed “We’re one of the only towns that had sandbags ready,” he said, adding that 25,000 of the pre-made sandbags had already been delivered. “We have 350 volunteers and the goal is to make 15,000 more sandbags this weekend.” READ MORE: Montreal declares state of emergency as flooding worsens WATCH: André Fortin, MNA for Pontiac, said on Saturday that volunteers in Quyon, Que., had gathered to help save the new community centre as the town deals with severe flooding. 1:09 Efforts underway to save community centre as Quyon prepares for more flooding Efforts underway to save community centre as Quyon prepares for more flooding – Apr 27, 2019 The mayor urged anyone who wanted to help to consult the city’s Facebook page for the latest information. Story continues below advertisement The Galipeault Bridge on Highway 20, which connects Île-Perrot to Montreal’s West Island, is also closed until further notice due to rising water. Quebec’s Transport Ministry announced the measure early Saturday morning amid heavy rainfall, saying the bridge is at risk of flooding. “When we close roads it’s because it’s a question of safety,” said Quebec Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbault. With the Galipeault Bridge closed because of flood concerns, there's bumper to bumper traffic on (and before) the Ile Aux Tourtes bridge heading west. pic.twitter.com/ztGcCo1Vf4 — Dan Spector (@danspector) April 27, 2019 As a detour, drivers can still use highways 30 and 40 to get to and from Île-Perrot. The toll for Highway 30 is lifted until further notice. If the Galipeault Bridge remains closed next week, residents can use the Vaudreuil-Hudson train line free of charge. The City of Vaudreuil-Dorion says that St-Charles Avenue — which links highways 20 and 40 — is closed between Paul-Gérin-Lajoie and Léger streets. The bridge between Vaudreuil-Dorion and Île-Cadieux is also closed to traffic, as is the Île Bigras Bridge in Laval. The transport ministry advises avoiding the area due to flooding. Drivers are asked to respect street closures and to follow instructions from local authorities. Road closures, homes cut off as flooding strikes Quebec The closure comes as unrelenting rain drenches the southern half of Quebec. Environment Canada warned that up to 60 millimetres of rain was expected for several areas, including Montreal, Laval, the Laurentians, Lanaudière and Quebec City. Story continues below advertisement “Avoid driving through water on roads,” the weather agency said. “Even shallow, fast-moving water across a road can sweep a vehicle or a person away.” READ MORE: Rigaud issues mandatory evacuation order as Quebec deals with record flooding Urgence Quebec reports more than 3,000 homes are hit by flooding and more than 2,000 people have been forced from their homes as of Saturday afternoon. A total of 2,783 homes are also inaccessible due to washed-out roads and landslides. Voluntary evacuations underway in Montreal boroughs Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante declared a state of emergency Friday afternoon, warning residents in at-risk areas that water levels will continue to rise over the weekend. While in Ahuntsic-Cartierville on Saturday, Plante said teams had been going to door to door in flood-stricken neighbourhoods to encourage voluntary evacuations. Plante said about half the residents of the homes visited agreed to leave. WATCH: Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante announced on Friday that they had declared a state of emergency in response to flooding in the region 2:10 Montreal declares state of emergency in response to flooding Montreal declares state of emergency in response to flooding – Apr 26, 2019 “What we want is to avoid emergency evacuations,” she said, adding being asked to leave home is stressful enough without the added sense of urgency. Story continues below advertisement She also urged the public to avoid flooded neighbourhoods so as to not impede the work of emergency crews. A short time after the mayor toured the borough, a breach appeared in the dike on Olivier Street. City spokesperson Camille Bégin said a concerted effort involving about 50 people, including firefighters, police, military personnel and the city’s blue collar workers allowed for a quick fix to the problem. Sandbags were added to fill the breach and reinforce the dike, before water was pumped back into the river. Bégin explained that because of the state of emergency, crews were already on the ground and ready to jump into action. Evacuation order maintained in Rigaud In Rigaud, located about 80 kilometres west of Montreal near the Ontario border, an evacuation order was implemented Friday for residents in flood-stricken areas. With rising floodwaters, authorities say they can no longer guarantee the safety of its citizens. After #Rigaud authorities put mandatory (but not forced) evacuation in place, 10 families decided to evacuate. Still 172 staying against the city's advice. #Flood2019 #inondation2019 pic.twitter.com/CJq8lyDBr1 — Dan Spector (@danspector) April 27, 2019 Pointe-Calumet officials have also issued a state of emergency. The municipality, located in the Laurentians along the Deux-Montagnes Lake, is home to a little more than 6,000 people. Authorities are also keeping a close eye on a hydroelectric dam, on a tributary of the Ottawa River between Ottawa and Montreal, that’s at risk of failing. Water at the Chute-Bell dam has reached levels expected to occur every 1,000 years, but Hydro-Québec says it’s confident the structure is solid. Story continues below advertisement — With files from The Canadian Press<doc-sep>(CNN) — Canadians already deluged by floodwaters in recent days braced for more rain over the weekend as federal and local authorities marshaled resources to help beleaguered residents. Ottawa and Montreal are on alert as downpours are forecast. Eastern Ontario and western Quebec along the Ottawa River as well as other parts of those provinces have been particularly hit hard by rising waters caused by rain and rapid snow melt. At a Friday morning news briefing, Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said the military is ready to deploy when needed, with more than 1,700 troops to be used in Quebec and Ontario and New Brunswick, one of the country’s maritime provinces. It ‘just rips your heart out’ Ontario Premier Doug Ford was touring Ottawa on Friday, with Canadian media quoting him pointing to climate change as a reason why eastern Ontario is facing heavy flooding for the second time in three years. It “just rips your heart out,” Ford said of residents’ plight, according to The Canadian Press. Goodale also touched on climate change in his press briefing, saying, “These wild cycles from storms and floods to droughts and wildfires – that is a very serious national problem; it is a public safety problem, and we all have to work conscientiously together. “I think we all have to learn the lessons of climate change. The impacts here are powerful and dangerous and damaging, and this is one of the most obvious manifestations of a changing climate. (We have) more unstable weather conditions where you can get precipitation that dumps about a year’s worth of moisture in a day or two, and then it all floods and causes enormous damage to private property as well as public infrastructure as well as the economy.” On emergency footing Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson has declared a state of emergency in response to flooding along the Ottawa River and has asked Ontario’s provincial government for help in Canada’s capital city. Volunteers are helping homeowners along the river and filling sandbags.. The city of Ottawa said the Ottawa River and tributaries are expected to continue rising over the next several days. Environment Canada, the country’s environmental agency, has issued a special weather statement for Ottawa predicting heavy rainfall, with 20 to 35 millimeters (up to nearly an inch) forecast by Saturday morning. Ryan Remiorz/AP Canadian Forces personnel sandbag a house against floodwaters Thursday in Laval, Quebec. A hydroelectric dam at Bell Falls on the Rouge River in Quebec’s western Laurentians region is at risk of failure, according to the Quebec Ministry of Public Security. The risk area includes Rouge River Sector, downstream of Bell Falls Dam to the Ottawa River and Grenville-sur-la-Rouge. Those in the affected areas are being told to evacuate immediately, the ministry said. “The water flows have reached all-time record levels,” Goodale said. “The engineers who designed the facility believe that it was designed to withstand this volume, but it’s still raining in the region so the problem could worsen. “The evacuations have already now largely taken place. The problem is that if the dam were to give way, people in the area would have less than an hour to get out of the surging water. It is a rural, remote region, and it is not the easiest area to get into or out of; in fact, some of the people have been removed by helicopter, I understand.” Volunteer hours extended to 9 am – 7 pm in all affected areas for flood response this Friday and over the weekend. Want to help? Details here: https://t.co/4t1ztVjing — City of Ottawa (@ottawacity) April 25, 2019 In Montreal, Quebec’s largest city and Canada’s second largest, officials are bolstering their response to the heavy rain. “We are asking citizens in flood-risk areas to remain vigilant and to continue to work toward securing their homes,” Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said. “We would like to remind you that sandbags are available to build dikes. If you haven’t already, we encourage you to read about preventive measures on our website.” Plante declared a state of emergency Friday. Quebec has been hit hard in recent days. More than 3,100 homes have been flooded, and more than 1,100 residents have been evacuated, according to the province’s emergency officials. Quebec Premier François Legault told reporters he was pleased with preventive measures put in place by authorities, including the Canadian armed forces. He said those who face likely flooding have either already received sandbags to protect their homes or will receive them, according to CTV. “At the end of the week, I was able to see the extraordinary work of those who are at work to ensure the safety of the citizens and limit the damage of the floods,” Legault said Thursday on his Facebook page. In New Brunswick, floodwaters have dropped and stabilized, but officials said they are worried about more rain. CNN’s Julia Jones contributed to this report.<doc-sep>
A combination of advanced planning and volunteer hard-work kept Montreal dry on Saturday, even as water levels rose higher than they were during the disastrous 2017 floods. That preparation and effort will be tested further Sunday as variable weather continues to threaten widespread flooding on the island. But Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said Montreal received less precipitation than expected on Saturday, easing some of the more immediate concerns. "The situation is stable and we're happy about that," she said while visiting residents in the borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville, on Montreal's north shore. Emergency officials are carrying out preventive evacuations in some sectors in Pierrefonds and Île-Bizard, on the north-western end of the city, where the surging currents of the Rivières des Prairies have already spilled its banks. As of Saturday evening, 18 people in Île-Bizard and seven in Pierrefonds had agreed to leave their homes, officials said. Laval authorities, meanwhile, ordered the evacuation of 22 buildings on l'île Verte, an island located between Laval and Île-Bizard. Despite less rainfall than expected, Plante urged citizens to remain vigilant. "If a dike were to rupture, or the winds were to pick up, the situation could change quickly," she said. Pierrefonds–Roxboro Mayor Jim Beis urged citizens to stay away from areas where the borough has built up dikes. "They are in a fragile state at this point," Beis said in a video posted to Facebook on Saturday evening. He said it was possible they could breach due to wind and pressure from the river. Galipeault Bridge closed The island of Montreal, as well Laval, remain in states of emergency, a measure giving authorities the power to seize property and force evacuations. Across the Greater Montreal area precautions are being multiplied. Earlier on Saturday, Quebec's Transport Ministry shut the Galipeault Bridge, which connects Montreal to Île Perrot along Highway 20, in both directions. A Transport Ministry spokesperson said the Galipeault Bridge isn't flooded at the moment, but the wind and rain in the forecast is making the situation increasingly unsafe. (Conrad Fournier/Radio-Canada) The bridge hasn't flooded, but wind and rain in the forecast make driving unsafe, the ministry said. It's unclear when the bridge, which crosses over the Sainte-Anne rapids, will reopen. Motorists can still take Highway 40 to the north, through Vaudreuil-Dorion to Highway 30 as an alternate route. The tolls on Highway 30 have been cancelled for the time being. Here's what it looks like near the Galipeault Bridge, which is closed until further notice for safety reasons. https://t.co/qMrmrXR2db pic.twitter.com/LnNVl8dH6q —@CBCMontreal Transports Québec is asking drivers in the area to stay home if possible. A plan is in place to offer free commuter rail service if the bridge remains closed on Monday, the ministry said. "We're crossing our fingers and hoping for the best," said Paula Hawa, mayor of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, a municipality on Montreal's western shore. 'Friends help friends, right?' In Pierrefonds–Roxboro, a borough on Montreal's north shore, residents scrambled to strengthen dikes made of sandbags. They were helped by dozens of volunteers — who filled sandbags, trucked them out to streets bordering the water, and laid them atop make-shift retaining walls. Klaus Bodnik moved away from 5th Avenue a few months ago, after living on the Roxboro street for 40 years. But he was back on Saturday, laying sandbags down on the dike holding back the Rivières des Prairies. Julie-Anne Miron checks a pump next to the Riviere-des-Prairies at her home surrounded by floodwaters in the Montreal borough of Sainte-Genevieve. (Graham Hughes/Canadian Press) "I know all these people," he said. "They're friends. And friends help friends, right?" Bodnik's basement was flooded in 2017, when record water levels forced hundreds of Montrealers from their homes. The water levels are higher this time, he said, but no one has yet left the street. "The work that's been done here is great. It's holding back the water," he said. A steady stream of volunteers continued to show up at Pierrefonds Comprehensive High School, which has been the hub for the rescue effort. But more help is still needed. Beis called for anyone able to sling a sandbag, or who has access to a pick-up truck, to lend a hand. Watch as residents express flood fears: Quebec flood fears CBC News 1:17 Rachel Huppé says she is worried about the damage to her home in Île-Bizard, Que., and doesn't think her sump pumps will keep working through the weekend as the flooding worsens.