PASPÉBIAC – Following heavy rainstorms in June and August, along with the lingering effects of Hurricane Lee on September 16 and 17, the town of Paspebiac will be examining the capacity of its infrastructure against increasingly severe weather events.

Between August 7 and 10, the area received 135 millimetres of rain resulting in damage to several municipal infrastructures and residences.

“It’s a good lesson. It’s when we realise that weather events can take us by surprise. The priority at the moment is public safety,” explains the mayor of Paspebiac, Marc Loisel.

The town wants to make sure that its municipal facilities are well-adapted to withstand intense, short-duration storms.

“We’re looking at the network and analyzing its capacity to handle such situations. It’s obvious that when there’s a sudden downpour like in August, there are municipalities with larger networks than ours that suffer fairly major impacts. The important thing is to ensure that our infrastructure is compliant,” continues the mayor.

Although some damage was recorded, Mr. Loisel does not yet have a precise estimate of the costs incurred by the completed repairs.

The government of Quebec has included Paspebiac in the decree offering financial assistance for towns affected by the rainfall, as published in the Quebec Government’s Gazette officielle. The municipality intends to submit invoices for the repairs in an attempt to obtain compensation for the expenses incurred as a result of the heavy rainfall.

The neighbouring town of New Carlisle experienced more extensive damage. Their mayor David Thibault estimated the cost of repairs to be around $200,000.