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Hundreds of homes threatened as water rises in Rigaud

Click to play video: 'Rigaud residents urged to leave home'
Rigaud residents urged to leave home
WATCH ABOVE: Global's Elysia Bryan-Baynes visited the Town of Rigaud, where some residents still can’t go home because of water levels – May 2, 2017

Flood waters are continuing to threaten hundreds of homes in Rigaud and Mayor Hans Gruenwald Jr. says about 400 residences could be affected.

Thirty-one families have had to evacuate their homes and are being helped by family, friends and the Red Cross.

He is urging residents living near the Ottawa river to leave before the situation worsens.

“We really would like people to take up our offer. We will feed them and house them and even offer psychological help because we know it is getting stressful,” said Gruenwald Jr. Tuesday evening.

Rising water levels have pushed hundreds of residents living near the Rigaud and Ottawa rivers out of their homes over the last few weeks.

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Gruenwald says river levels have risen by eight centimetres in the past two weeks and are expected to climb another five to seven centimetres.

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He says that means water could start entering homes through basement windows.

Eight gates open at the Hydro dam in Pointe-Fortune to release water pressure, Tuesday, May 2, 2017. Dorothy Sabourin

“It’s terrible. I’m so discouraged, It is worse than last week,” Claude De la Fontaine told Global News.

He has decided not to leave his home again unless officials insist he leaves.

“We just keep putting the sandbags in place, but for now they aren’t working. This is the worse I’ve ever seen it,” said De la Fontaine.

More rain is expected for the region throughout the end of the week.

— with files from The Canadian Press.

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