Quebec waterways 'stable' as lower than expected rainfall reduces flood risk
CTV
Public safety officials in Quebec say they're hoping for the best but preparing for the worst as the province's spring flooding season begins.
Public safety officials in Quebec say they're hoping for the best but preparing for the worst as the province's spring flooding season begins.
In southern Quebec, warm temperatures and precipitation have led to elevated waterways, Joshua Menard-Suarez, a spokesman with the Public Security Department, said Tuesday. Menard-Suarez said the situation was stable, adding that the flooding across the province occurs in the same places every year.
"We've been preparing for weeks," he said in an interview. "It's stable, but if it ends up being more serious, we're ready."
He said officials were paying particular attention to the Outaouais region in western Quebec.
France Belisle, the mayor of Gatineau, the largest city in the Outaouais, called on citizens to remain vigilant even though weather forecasts were calling for less rain than had been expected earlier in the week.
"Water levels are still rising, but a little slower than expected," she said.
The Ottawa River was rising about one centimetre an hour, Belisle said, with the peak expected to come between Wednesday and Friday. Water levels, she added, were expected to remain high for several more days, and about 254 buildings were at risk of flooding.
