After the storm: Roads destroyed, homes damaged in St-Lin-Laurentides
Posted August 13, 2024 1:51 pm.
Last Updated August 13, 2024 6:30 pm.
A small town of 26,000 people about 45 kilometres north of Montreal was hit hard by Friday’s storm. Some 100 homes in St-Lin-Laurentides sustained flood damage, and at least two were destroyed.
Residents are still dealing with the aftermath of the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby with the municipality still under a state of emergency.
The town extended its state of emergency until Thursday as a result.
“We have both damage inside and outside, it’s pretty substantial to be honest,” says Joé Boulet, a resident of St-Lin-Laurentides.
Boulet said his basement and garage were flooded and says the flood will cost him thousands of dollars in damages.
“It was pretty overwhelming to be honest,” Boulet said. “The two last days were more about drying up the basement because it was three feet of water across the whole basement.”
Emergency repairs are underway, but work to fully rebuild damaged infrastructure is expected to take long.
Surveillance footage shows water gushing through Chambord Street, with Boulet and those inside his home being trapped before they could escape.
Emergency crews delayed by the storm instructed Boulet to stay put upstairs until it was safe to get out.
During the worst of the storm Friday evening, the town’s mayor, Mathieu Maisonneuve, says 250 people were trapped in their homes because of flooding on the roads.
“They need to claim insurances, they’re going to need to do some renovations in their home,” Maisonneuve said.
“It’s tragic what happened here in St-Lin-Laurentides.”
The city is working with the Red Cross to help the victims of the flooding and has also brought in extra containers to help residents dispose of debris.
“We have full capacity in order to accept all the trashes from the citizens of St-Lin-Laurentides that occurred in their home,” Maisonneuve said.
RELATED: Quebec municipalities face months of cleanup after Debby
Emergency services had to carry out several rescues in the area, including a man who disappeared in a kayak but was later found safe, and other people who were trapped in their cars and had to climb onto the roofs of their vehicles.
Boulet says the wall that separates his home from the creek needs to be upgraded and believes if it was, the damage wouldn’t have been as significant.
“The city will do any investigation that needs to be done in order to make sure that if we can do something to minimize the damage in the future,” said Maisonneuve.
“I was just kind of like we’re screwed,” Boulet said. “I knew it was going to happen.”
–With files from The Canadian Press
