Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter
Almost two weeks after the remnants of Hurricane Debby dumped more than 150 millimetres of rain on much of the Valley, those affected by flooding are still cleaning up and coping with the aftermath.
Many homes were damaged after excess surface water proved to be too much for municipal systems to handle. This was especially the case in Huntingdon, where Mayor André Brunette was forced to declare a state of emergency and call in reinforcements from neighbouring fire departments in Hinchinbrooke and Godmanchester.
“It was chaotic,” says Brunette, whose basement, like many others throughout the town, was filled with over a foot of water in some places.
“The calls were coming in one after the other,” he says of the 911 calls that were being transferred to the Huntingdon fire department. In all, there were 57 registered calls, and the mayor estimates another 30 residents went directly to the fire station to request help pumping flood water from their homes.
“We are very grateful and thankful for all three fire departments,” he says, noting volunteer firefighters worked through the night to help secure homes.
According to different calculations, Huntingdon received between 136 and 156 mm of rain throughout the day. One report notes the weather station in Saint-Anicet registered around 56 mm of rain between 5 and 6 p.m.
“There is no system in the world that can absorb and take that in all at once,” says Brunette. “All our pumping stations were functional. Nothing broke down, and nothing stopped. When the electricity went off, we had power packs and generators that kicked in right away,” he insists. “The system worked ok; it was just overwhelmed.”
Brunette reports that an apartment building on Bouchette Street was evacuated, after electricity to the building was cut due to flood waters in the basement that were nearing the main terminal boxes. The Huntingdon Legion was opened as a temporary shelter, but no residents required this service.
Brunette suggests that like other municipalities, the town will likely advance a scheduled large item pick-up to help residents dispose of damaged property.
Special collections have already taken place in other hard-hit municipalities, including Saint-Anicet, Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague, and Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, while other municipalities secured dumpsters for residents to use.
Saint-Anicet’s mayor, Gino Moretti, says the fire department there received one call for help. He says this reflects work that has been done to emphasize the importance of preparation and planning to manage risks such as flooding. The municipality, which has an emergency measures plan, was careful to communicate with citizens throughout the weekend.
“I went to see the damage on the ground the day after Debby hit. I saw flooded farmland, evacuated homes, and resilient people ready to help each other,” says Huntingdon MNA Carole Mallette, whose office was in communication with affected municipalities during and after the flooding.
She notes that losses from flooding caused by overflowing waterways during heavy rains are eligible for the Programme général d’assistance financière lors de sinistre (PGAF). The Ministère de la Sécurité publique has also enlarged the program to now cover homes damaged by sewer water infiltration as well.
More information on eligibility requirements and admissible expenses can be found online at Quebec.ca.