One week after they were forced to flee, Grenville-sur-la-Rouge residents have started returning to their homes after an evacuation order was lifted for the Rouge River area.
The town said Hydro-Québec authorities waived the measure Thursday night, adding it would be possible for evacuees to come back as of 8 p.m. to the community.
READ MORE: Grenville-sur-la-Rouge evacuees want to go home
Quebec’s Public Security Ministry launched an emergency alert and evacuation order on April 25 because the Chute-Bell Dam in the Laurentians was at imminent risk of failure. The alert remains in effect until Friday evening.
More than 140 people were forced to leave their homes in a hurry. Most residents were transported by car and others by helicopter.
READ MORE: Improving flood mapping is first step in future mitigation, expert says
The evacuation order was lifted one day after residents gathered on Wednesday for a meeting on an update to the Quebec floods and dam evacuations. Evacuees voiced their frustration with the lack of access to their homes.
The town says the Sûreté du Québec and firefighters are available to assist residents as they return to Grenville-sur-la-Rouge.
A section of Rouge River Road between Avoca Bridge and Kilmar Road is still off limits and that some residents will only be able to access their homes by foot. The town says it will reopen when it is safe.
WATCH BELOW: Quebec issues evacuation order in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge as dam could burst
— With files from The Canadian Press
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