The City of Laval is launching emergency flood measures after the banks of the Rivière des Mille Îles burst late Wednesday night.
Residents who live on low-lying streets like Riviera Street are seeing water overflow onto the road.
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City works have delivered hundreds of sandbags io high-risk areas. Authorities are prioritizing efforts on 825 homes around the city, which they say are in flood-prone zones.
“As soon as the situation is more dire, the sandbags will be delivered all over,” said Laval police spokesperson Evelyne Boudreau.
Sandbags will be made available to other homes if needed.
Hydro-Québec says it has been lowering water levels in certain reservoirs up river over the winter months to prepare for the increase in water levels.
The public utility says it expects flooding to be “particularly intense during the coming days.”
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for the greater Montreal area, including Laval. About 30 to 50 millimeters of rainfall is in the forecast for the next few days, which is causing for concern as it will raise water levels even higher.
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Boudreau says they expect the the precipitations to get worst but says the city is prepared if the situation escalates.
“Laval is going to be involved in a lot of flooding,” she said.
Laval is asking citizens to be at the ready and prepare for the worst.
The city will regularly update its website and social media platforms to inform residents as the situation progresses over the weekend.