The impact of the heavy rainfall left by Tropical Storm Debby is still being felt in many parts of Quebec on Monday, but a return to normal is gradually taking place.
At around 5 a.m. Monday, Hydro-Québec reported that some 3,200 of its customers were still without power, the majority of them in the Eastern Townships and Mauricie regions.
At the height of the outages on Friday evening, 550,000 of the utility’s customers were plunged into darkness across the province.
On Sunday, Hydro indicated that power should be restored to the vast majority of affected customers by the end of the day, but warned that some households would have to wait until Monday due to accessibility problems.
Moreover, in some cases, it is simply impossible to restore power at present due to flooding, it was reported.
Flooded roads
On the road network, according to Québec 511, the Dorval Tunnel on Montreal’s West Island remains inaccessible due to an accumulation of water. The pumping station was damaged, forcing the complete closure of Highway 13, between the 40 and 520, for an indefinite period.
For those who normally use Highway 13 in this sector, the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable recommends considering an alternative route, as well as preferring public transit and telecommuting wherever possible.
The Ministry explained on Sunday that the tunnel’s pumping station had been damaged by backflow from the municipal collector sewer that evacuates water from this section of Highway 13. The tunnel is therefore closed indefinitely.
All motorists are advised to call Québec 511 before starting their journey.
Record amount of rainfall
Several Quebec municipalities received record rainfall amounts in the space of 24 hours on Friday, exceeding 100 millimeters in many places, as the province was swept by the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby.
According to Public Safety Minister François Bonnardel, 55 municipalities were affected by flooding. Specifically, 260 homes were flooded.
In addition, 400 people were evacuated, and nearly 170 roads were damaged – and eight municipalities have declared a state of local emergency.
Some disaster victims who meet the eligibility criteria will be eligible for financial assistance under the General Disaster Financial Assistance Program, the government has announced.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews