Quebec officials urge caution after flood-caused sinkhole claims woman’s life

As of Saturday afternoon, turgid rivers had caused 72 flooded residences, 92 isolated residences and more than 200 evacuees across the province, according to Urgence Quebec.

Guilbault also offered her condolences to the family of Louise Seguin Lortie, who died early Saturday morning after driving her car into a massive sinkhole caused by flooding in the Outaouais region, according to police.

The accident left the 72-year-old’s sedan upside down in a swollen stream after rising river levels swept away part of the road in the overnight, police said.

Sgt. Martin Fournel of the MRC des Collines police said a pair of witnesses parked near the washout tried unsuccessfully to warn the driver as she approached.

“That lady, who was driving by herself on that road, fell into a sinkhole basically because of the flooding. There was a culvert that was not there anymore, so the road was cut in half and she was not able to brake and avoid the accident,” Fournel told The Canadian Press.

The woman was taken to hospital but pronounced dead shortly after, he said.

The accident occurred at about 3:30 a.m. in the Municipality of Pontiac, about 30 kilometres northwest of Ottawa.

Pontiac, which sits along the Ottawa River, is one of at least three municipalities in the Outaouais region to declare states of emergency, along with Saint-Andre-Avellin and Val-des-Monts. The cities of Gatineau and Trois-Rivieres are also under a state of emergency.

The worst flooding Saturday appeared to surge through the Beauce region south of Quebec City, where 68 homes were flooded and 127 people evacuated as of 3 p.m., according to an Urgence Quebec bulletin.

Six major floods have been identified by the agency, threatening thousands of residents: the Chaudiere River in Saint-Georges; Saint-Joseph, Scott and Vallee-Jonction in Beauce; and Deux-Montagnes Lake at Rigaud and Quesnel Bay.

In Beauceville, about 90 kilometres south of Quebec City, officials have asked the Canadian Armed Forces for assistance, with military vehicles slated to help with evacuations ordered by the municipality.

Earlier this week, the Chaudiere River burst its banks and flooded a large part of downtown. Officials called it the worst flooding since 1971, with 230 homes and businesses flooded.

In Saint-Raymond, about 60 kilometres northwest of the provincial capital, 24 seniors in three residences have been moved to higher ground as the Ste-Anne River continues to rise.

A local dam gave way Saturday, said Mayor Daniel Dion, prompting concerns about flooding.

“The problem today is that there is a lot of ice. If they clog our channels the water will have no space to circulate and that’s where it overflows,” he said.

Dion said he expects the high-water mark to come Sunday evening.

Rigaud, west of the Island of Montreal, saw at least 68 evacuations, as residents feared a repeat of 2017, when record flooding forced thousands from their homes.

William Bradley, whose house in Rigaud sits on a street that hugs the Ottawa River, said he filled several hundred city-supplied sandbags this week. He’s stacked them four-high around doors and windows, wrapping the makeshift barriers in polyethylene.

“It’s still coming up, coming up,” said Bradley, 72.

He said flooding two years ago caused about $100,000 in damage to the ceramics equipment he stores at home for his small business.

“We’ll stay as long as we have gas for the generator. We’ve got a boat — my daughter bought a boat and a motor for us in 2017,” he told The Canadian Press. “By the way, never buy a boat during a flood season. It gets pricey.”

More than 45 millimetres of rain fell on the Montreal area between Thursday and Saturday, according to Environment Canada. Rainfall warnings have been lifted, but water levels were already high and are expected to rise sharply over the weekend with warm temperatures and snowmelt runoff.

Guilbault has said the province will allow stores — usually closed on Easter Sunday — to remain open this weekend so residents can stock up on supplies.

The City of Laval, just north of Montreal, said in a statement it had distributed sandbags to 900 homes and knocked on 550 doors to make sure people were safe as more than 1,500 homes and business remained under flood watch.

Quebec City and the Gaspe Peninsula can expect up to 30 millimetres of rainfall this weekend, said Environment Canada meteorologist Andre Cantin.

“That will help the snow to melt again, and we do not expect the river will be able to go down for at least 48 hours,” he said Saturday.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Quebec officials urge caution after flood-caused sinkhole claims woman’s life

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