Nearly three weeks later, St-Laurent residents still wait for flood debris to be picked up

Nearly three weeks after the heavy rains earlier this month and some Montreal residents still have trash and debris from the floods in their front yards.

Saint-Laurent resident Tasy Kostopoulos says a post flood clean up was expected, though when she looks outside her window the piles are still there. She and other residents adding that they feel like they’ve been abandoned by the city. 

“They said on Monday the 19th we have arranged for the garbage to be picked up, today we’re the 26th,” she said. “Why is it still not picked up it’s not rocket science.”

Kostopoulos said she’s lived on Lippé Street since 1974 and has never had any issues quite like this, saying the garbage and soiled belongings have become a health hazard as some Montrealers were taking rugs and clothes.

She said despite the urgency, they were taking everything not knowing it was contaminated with sewage water.

“I was trying to communicate with them ‘look it’s contaminated don’t touch it, the city is going to come and pick up’ the city of Saint-Laurent has told me this,” Kostopoulos said.

Kostopoulos says they called 311 immediately after the flooding and have since been in a back and forth with the Garbage department for weeks, saying the cleanup was promised days ago.

The borough received 155 millimetres of rain during the Aug. 9 downpour that resulted from the remnants of tropical storm Debby.

Stratis Nicolopoulos, lives on the next street over and says he’s disappointed, as remnants of his flooded home are now on the curb. 

“My nephew calls to the city  and someone says, I don’t know who, that somebody will pick it up but nobody shows up.”

Nicolopoulos said as recent as Last Friday was the last time his family communicated with the city and was promised the cleanup would happen on Saturday.

“We are.. I am very very mad, very frustrated,” Nicolopoulos said

Kostopoulos claims the problem for their flooding was due to the Leduc retention basin. Last week, the Saint-Laurent borough mayor Alan DeSousa called on the Plante administration to reinstate the project, which was cancelled last year.

CityNews Montreal reached out to the city of Saint-Laurent for comment, but have yet to hear back.

“They keep telling us ‘we’re gonna come’ the word ‘we’re gonna come’ is not good enough I need to know when this garbage will be picked up,” she said.

Kostopoulos says various houses around the neighbourhood have been affected as the situation continues to be causing more problems.

“If you can’t get it right, tell me when you can get it right because that way I’ll be able to deal with it myself.”