Montreal’s West Island assess flood damage after heavy rainfall

The crisis situation caused by major flooding stabilized on Sunday, after a night of intervention on Saturday evening, but the repercussions continue to be felt in Greater Montreal. 

Areas of the West Island of Montreal, mainly Pierrefonds-Roxboro and Dollard-des-Ormeaux, were affected by flooding and power outages on Saturday, following heavy rains that fell on Southern Quebec.

A few homes remain without power, but the number of outages has decreased considerably this morning. As of 1:50 p.m., there are currently 51 outages affecting 1,312 customers across Quebec, including 727 in Montreal, 152 in Lanaudière, and 117 in Montérégie.

Jim Beis, the head of security and prevention on the executive committee of the City of Montreal, and Martin Guilbault, head of the communications division of the Montreal Fire Department (SIM), provided an update on the situation Sunday morning. 

“What you saw yesterday was not only the backflow into the residential areas from the amount of water that was trying to go through and coming back, but you also had the water table underground that was also pushing up and as I mentioned earlier was trickling through some of the entry points in different homes,” said Beis.

 “The main purpose of the fire department right now is to make sure that everyone is safe — There’s no electrical problem,” said Guilbeault. “The fire department will not pump basements. They will pump basements only to get to the main panel to shut it down.”

The SIM has been operating continuously since Saturday evening, with 11 units deployed in total, which are still present.

Boats have been used to rescue people trapped in their vehicles, and firefighters are going into houses to make sure that the electrical panels are properly closed, says Guilbault.

“The fire department’s objective is to ensure that all homes are safe,” he stated. Approximately 20 houses still needed to be checked, out of about 100 flooded homes, as of yesterday afternoon. 

Beis mentions that teams of volunteers will be set up to help residents remove furniture that may have been affected by the water. A special collection service will be planned “eventually”. 

“I’ve also had conversations with the Minister of Public Safety Yannick Lefreniere this morning who ensured that we will work together to try to find some solutions and help the residents, those particularly in need,” said Beis. “And that information is going to come out as we go further into the week.”

More people are reported to have been affected in 2026 than in the two previous years, for other floods. 

On Sunday morning, the SPVM stated that they completed their assistance at two o’clock in the morning, after being called in to lend a hand to the intervention teams. 

Disaster victims on both sides of the river

The South Shore of the city was also dealing with flooding. On Sunday morning, the City of Saint-Constant lifted the state of emergency declared the previous day.

According to Vicky Côté, community and media relations officer for the Roussillon Intermunicipal Police Board, more than 800 calls were handled by 911, and no serious injuries or accidents were noted by the police service. 

“For citizens who have experienced flooding, it is important to use 911 only when situations require emergency intervention, especially when there is a danger to people’s safety, such as a fire or electrocution,” she asks the public. 

Teams intervened in the cities most affected by the heavy rains, namely Saint-Constant, Saint-Mathieu and Delson, where all the roads that were closed the day before are now reopened. 

Delson Mayor Christian Ouellette says the situation has been resolved. Around 100 homes were affected in the municipality, where the river that runs alongside it overflowed yesterday. 

“It is practically impossible for our stormwater systems to accommodate that much water in such a short period of time,” notes Ouellette. 

“I am a native of Delson, I am 63 years old and I have never seen circumstances like this. We must put in place solutions to counter climate change. This is not an urban legend,” insists Ouellette. 

The Minister of Internal Security, Ian Lafrenière, shares the same concerns as Ouellette, having indicated on the social network X on Sunday that efforts must continue to “make our cities more resilient to climate change.”

He states that he is “following the situation closely” with the municipalities and districts concerned. 

Disruptions at the airport 

Anne-Sophie Hamel, a spokesperson for Montreal’s airports, explained that a lightning warning, in effect between 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., paralyzed Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport. During this period, no planes were able to land or take off, and 25 flights had to be diverted. 

This measure, which is standard practice during thunderstorms, aims to ensure the safety of employees working on the tarmac. Baggage handling, aircraft parking at the barrier, and refueling are examples of operations that cannot be carried out during a lightning warning. 

She says the airport is operational on Sunday, but the effects of the lightning alert are being felt, including the cancellation and delay of some flights, as well as for baggage delivery. 

“It is not usual for a lightning alert to be in effect for such a long period, even if they are frequent,” says Hamel. 

On Sunday, an airport employee stated that the airport’s customer services, as well as those of the airlines, were overwhelmed by the number of dissatisfied customers.

Flights are being cancelled, and some customers are claiming on social media that they have spent several hours, or even the night, stuck at the airport. 

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews