City crews are deploying dikes, pumps and sandbags across vulnerable areas as water levels continue to rise, raising flood concerns in parts of the city.
Officials said in an update on Wednesday that the Outaouais and des Prairies rivers could spill over their banks in the coming days, with additional rainfall and already saturated ground increasing the risk.
Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada said mitigation efforts are already underway to protect communities in the Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough and Île Mercier.
“What is behind us is a 1.5-kilometre dig, in a way that protects the neighbourhood,” she said.
Martinez Ferrada said the dig is being used to protect surrounding homes from any flooding-related threats that could pose a risk to the community.
The City of Montreal also announced Monday the bridge between Île Bizard and Île Mercier has been closed to vehicles due to high water levels in the Rivière des Prairies.
For now, it remains open to pedestrians only.
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“It was tremendous work. We are monitoring the situation day by day,” she said.
This isn’t the first year that communities and officials have had to prepare for the heavy rain.
In 2017 and 2019, disasters hit the same communities when excessive rainfall resulted in flooding throughout the region.
Martinez Ferrada added that using past years’ information, they are better prepared with a plan.
“Global warming and climate change are real, and we need to find ways to mitigate that. I can only imagine living in a house where every April, you don’t know what’s going to happen,” she said.
Jim Beis, Borough Mayor of Pierrefonds-Roxboro in Montreal, Que., added that lessons from past flooding events have shaped the city’s response.
“In 2017, historic floods caught everyone by surprise. What we learned is we had to adapt to the reality of this happening again,” Beis said.
“In 2019, the water levels were even higher, and we were able to protect 95 per cent of our community.”
He added that without current infrastructure, the situation could be far worse.
“If these installations were not in place like you see today, we would have been severely flooded. Thankfully, our blue-collar workers have done an incredible job.”
Meanwhile, emergency crews remain on standby.
“The nautical teams, police and fire are ready should they have to intervene. Everyone is working like an orchestra to ensure everything is in place and guarantee public safety,” Beis added.
Longtime resident Neil Koury said the rising water levels are already noticeable.
When showing the fencing around his property, he explained that “you used to be able to see the bottom of the fence… now you don’t.”
Koury said the uncertainty remains a constant concern.
“‘Here we go again’ is always going through our heads. It all depends on the weather and dam control.”
Beis said it’s still too early to determine whether residents may be forced from their homes, but city officials are monitoring weather patterns closely.
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