Montreal Is In Flooding 'Alert Mode' & Asking Residents In At-Risk Areas To Get Ready
Water levels are expected to rise this week, officials say.
A car half underwater during a period of flooding in the Montreal area in 2019.
Montreal has entered the "alert mode" of its flooding response plan (Plan particulier d’intervention) as water levels rise west of the island. In a Sunday, April 16, statement, officials said they expect flows to increase even more between April 17 and 18.
"Montreal is ready to make every effort to prepare for possible flooding," Alain Vaillancourt, Montreal executive committee member responsible for public security, said in the statement. "Our teams are ready to deploy the human, material and financial resources necessary to deal with any flooding."
\u201c\ud83d\udca7 Crues printani\u00e8res | Montr\u00e9al passe en mode alerte. Nos \u00e9quipes sont mobilis\u00e9es pour faire face \u00e0 une \u00e9ventuelle mont\u00e9e des eaux. \n\nChaque ann\u00e9e, c'est une p\u00e9riode stressante pour les riverains. Nous sommes pr\u00eats et serons l\u00e0 pour les accompagner. \n\nConsultez notre site pour\u2026\u201d— Val\u00e9rie Plante (@Val\u00e9rie Plante) 1681681448
Areas along the Lac des Deux Montagnes, Lac Saint-Louis and the Rivière des Prairies are generally at risk of springtime flooding, according to the city.
Online, Montreal says eight boroughs and on-island suburbs are particularly vulnerable: Ahuntsic-Cartierville, L’Île-Bizard-Sainte-Geneviève, Montréal-Nord, Pierrefonds-Roxboro, Pointe-Claire, Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, and Senneville.
"The safety of our citizens is a priority, and in times of spring flooding, the preparation of residents in at-risk areas is essential," Vaillancourt continued.
"We wish to inform the population of the possible impacts of flooding and the measures put in place in case of flooding. We therefore invite the population living in sectors at risk to prepare to intervene quickly, as we do, and we make sure that all citizens have the necessary information to prepare themselves"
Officials encourage residents in those at-risk areas to create a family plan so everyone knows what to do in the event of a flood and to ready an emergency kit that could sustain the household for up to 72 hours.
Montrealers can check for updates on the City of Montreal website and on the Service aux citoyens app.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.