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With rain in the forecast this weekend, Premier François Legault said Friday he doesn’t expect more damage to the areas affected by last week’s heavy rainfall as part of tropical storm Debby.
Rain in the forecast on Saturday and Sunday is expected to hit the southeast of the province, and up to 50 millimetres are expected in some parts of the Lanaudière region. Legault said the province’s public security ministry is keeping an eye on some areas of that region.
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“If we exclude these three or four municipalities in the Lanaudière region, there shouldn’t be more damage over the weekend,” he said.
In the coming days and weeks, Legault said he expects those affected by floods to overflow the hotline for the province’s financial assistance program, and its website. That program could compensate Quebecers for flood damage, even if they are not covered by insurance. Legault said he expects the public security ministry, which manages the program, to be generous with those asking for aid.
“We have asked the public security ministry to be more flexible and to enlarge the program,” Legault said, adding that those affected should first try to get as much as they are entitled to from their insurance companies.
In the wake of the storm, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said the disaster highlights the need to adapt cities for the weather extremes of climate change. The city of Montreal received a record amount of rainfall last week, and Plante said roads and sewers must be repaired, while sponge parks, sponge sidewalks and sponge streets are being built to hold back water in the event of major rains.
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The union of municipalities has asked the province for $2 billion per year to adapt infrastructure, and that request was denied. However, on Friday, Legault said he was open to making more investments.
“I think in the medium and long term, we have to think about making more investments, but the money we already put forward has not been spent, so let’s start with that,” he said.
Standing alongside Legault, Public Safety Minister François Bonnardel said the situation has stabilized over most of the province, but some areas, particularly in the Lanaudière region, are still affected.
Bonnardel said as of Friday, there were 187 landslides in the aftermath of the storm. Another 31 homes were still affected, while 52 people were still isolated because of floodwaters. A total of 36 people had been removed from their homes.
Roughly 20 cities were still dealing with emergency situations, and 20 roads were still being repaired, down from 180 at the beginning of the week.
Bonnardel agreed that the public safety ministry needed to be flexible in handling claims.
Already 1,834 had called by Friday to make claims for damage, and roughly $38,000 was already handed out by the program, he said. At least 198 municipalities are expected to make requests for aid. During historic floods in 2017, roughly 6,000 people made claims, while in 2019 almost 8,000 claims were filed.
To submit a claim to the province’s disaster compensation program, go to www.quebec.ca/securite-situations-urgence/urgences-sinistres-risques-naturels/obtenir-aide-sinistre or call 1-888-643-AIDE 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays or from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends.
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