Eleven months after the floods, flood-affected people of Rigaud always at the hotel

PHOTO AGENCE QMI, JOEL LEMAY
The spring freshet “history” in the Spring of 2017 has caused enormous floods on the territory of the Town of Rigaud, in Montérégie

QMI agency

Friday, 23 march, 2018 20:16

UPDATE
Friday, 23 march, 2018 20:16

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RIGAUD – A year after unprecedented floods in Quebec, dozens of people, including children, are always at the hotel, and they are afraid of reliving the nightmare of last spring.

More specifically, 11 families are in this situation in the region of Rigaud, in Montérégie.

The prime minister was passing through this town in the Montérégie region, on Friday. Philippe Couillard and his team were reassuring. “It’s cold, it thaws more slowly, and there is little precipitation, he noted in point of press. We hope it will be a year that will not be a repeat of last year.”

Most importantly, the implications of the events of the spring of 2017 will still be felt for many residents. Fear of reliving the same nightmare, as they prepare to face new floods. Some have set up their furniture in the garage and others wait before redoing their basement.

Anxiety, on the ground

“On the field, it feels a bit of anxiety,” says the director of communications for the City of Rigaud, Marie-Andrée Gagnon. I think people are anticipating. It is sure that the City is there to support them, but it remains their primary responsibility.”

The people are irritated because of the delays: on 280 applications for financial assistance, a hundred files are not yet settled.

The situation is understandable, considers the minister responsible for the Montérégie region and member of the QLP in Soulanges Lucie Charlebois, about the people who have not taken the decision to demolish their home, when the time came. “It’s all their possessions, it is emotions that are [connected] to these residences.”

In addition to the victims confined to the hotel, there are all those that are still hosted by members of the family.

Despite the announcement of the $ 50 million intended to improve the reaction in case of floods, citizens have expressed concern that Quebec will have learned from this natural disaster.