More than a dozen residents are defying an evacuation order that was issued by the mayor of Rigaud last weekend.
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However, the decision to stay home could be costly: fines ranging between $1,000 and $5,000 may be issued to those who refuse to leave.
Mayor Hans Gruenwald Jr. said no tickets have been written yet, but that could change.
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The mayor said the evacuation order was established to protect homeowners as emergency services can’t be guaranteed, municipal drinking water could be compromised and sewage systems may also not be working properly.
About 500 people live in the evacuation zones and those who have left aren’t allowed to access their home for the time being.
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The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) is controlling all access routes to the homes, including roads and waterways.
“I didn’t need this flooding, but it’s here and it’s our job to deal with it,” Mayor Gruenwald Jr. said during a press conference Friday morning.
On the Rigaud River, the Canadian Coast Guard, Quebec provincial police and the Canadian Armed Forces are all patrolling the waterways.
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Federal and provincial authorities say they are helping to remove debris that has floated to people’s homes, as well as trying to prevent potential thefts.
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Residents say they are hoping to be escorted back to their homes to assess property damage and pick up personal belongings.
The mayor confirmed these have been the worst floods since the 1970s.
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Gruenwald Jr. said, back then, it took six weeks for all the water to recede.
“I want the people to be able to go back home,” he said.
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