‘We’re just trying to get through it’: Fatigue sets in for Île-Bizard flood victims

Melanie Desa is doing the best she can as her street in Île-Bizard remains completely covered in water from major spring flooding.

As water surrounds her property, she is balancing boil-water advisories and getting her children to school without being able to access the road.

“We’re very lucky that the house is dry,” she said. “We’re just trying to get through it.”

Severe spring flooding has struck regions in Quebec over the past two weeks. Urgence Québec reports that more than 5,400 residences are flooded and more than 10,386 people have been forced to leave their homes as of Sunday evening.

READ MORE: Quebec’s disastrous 2019 floods bring out compassion from local volunteers

In Montreal, the waterfront areas of Île-Bizard, Pierrefonds-Roxboro and Ahuntsic-Cartierville are among the hardest hit by flooding. Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante has also extended a state of emergency, saying she is worried about what warm weather could bring.

For flood victims in Île-Bizard, a return to normal isn’t in the cards just yet even as water levels appear to be high but stable.

Serge Fortier told Global News there has been a slight drop in the floodwaters surrounding his home. With the help of volunteers and city workers, he helped reinforce a dike to keep the area dry.

READ MORE: West Island flood volunteers putting in marathon hours to help total strangers

While he feels he’s past the worst of the flooding, Fortier has missed two weeks of work because of the flooding — and he suspects it will be a while before he can let his guard down.

“For pretty much the whole month of May, we’re going to wait for the water to go down,” he said.

For her part, Desa is also starting to accept that “it might be a while” before floodwaters disappear.

“It’s discouraging,” she said. “It’s definitely discouraging but I’m trying to stay positive about it.”

The Île-Bizard—Sainte-Geneviève borough is holding a council meeting on Tuesday where residents say they hope they can learn more about what will be done for future floods.

WATCH: Volunteers step up to help flood victims

1:58 Volunteers step up to help flood victims

Resources for flood victims

As fatigue sets in, both Quebec and municipal governments say there are resources out there to help residents affected by flooding.

In Île-Bizard, if residents need help from volunteers or sandbags to protect their properties, they can call the borough’s emergency lines at 514-620-3098 or 514-620-6632.

READ MORE: Canadian Red Cross raises $3M in donations for Quebec flood victims

Anyone with health questions or those who need psychological support can call Info-Santé at 811. The province says frontline workers are visiting flood-stricken areas to check in on residents. However, if there is an emergency, residents can call 911.

Flood victims are also asked to register with the Red Cross at 1-800-863-6582.

— With files from Global News’ Dan Spector