The sand a week before the flood

Laurence Houde-Roy

Wednesday 14 march 2018 22:39

UPDATE
Wednesday 14 march 2018 22:39

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A year after the major floods of last spring, the City of Laval will ensure from now that the homes most at risk of being affected first by flooding, on its territory, will receive bags of sand a week before the water does not touch their land.

Although the level of the rivers surrounding the island of Laval is not worrying for the time being, the administration of mayor Marc Demers announced on Wednesday measures to improve its operations in case of floods. More precisely, it wants to make less random the distribution of sand bags to its citizens.

By observing all the houses that have been affected by the significant climbs of the water spring of 2017, the City has classified each of the homes to determine which were the most at risk of being affected by the water in the first place, either because of a close proximity with the water or a difference in height on their property for a flood faster.

New ranking

The authority has classified its waterfront property into four priority areas. The houses are classified as ” A ” always receive bags of sand a week before the water does not touch their land. The decision will be based on the evaluations of the meteorological and monitoring of the rivers that the City makes with Hydro Weather. The residences of the other areas will then receive their bags of sand according to their priority.

Previously, the sand bags were distributed in anticipation of the spring freshet, but no precise rule was fixed, which could result in a distribution of the bags is between two and three days prior to a flood.

Concerned citizens are invited to register on the mailing list of the City, on their website, in order to receive an automated call at the time where the distribution of bags of sand for their sector will begin.

Monitoring of rivers in anticipation of the spring freshet has to start Thursday, in Laval, and will continue until mid-may.

Montreal

The City of Montreal will be a first return march 20 on the floods of last spring that have affected 430 residences in the metropolis, and have done 1100 victims.

A report of the civil security, made public in January had urged the City to update its maps of flood-prone areas in the north of the island of Montreal old age of 40.

Despite their disuse, these cards are still being used by the agglomeration of Montréal in an emergency situation, and the more recent technical reports are used to determine the flood risk for each site along the streams date from 1985 to the St. Lawrence river and lac Saint-Louis, and in 2006 for the des Prairies river.

The elect will receive the director of the civil safety in the standing committee to discuss.