A flash flood that struck Montreal’s West Island on Saturday left hundreds of residents flooded, while more than 6,000 addresses remain without power.
The Montreal fire department began receiving calls about flooding around 3 p.m., according to division chief Martin Guilbault. He says crews continued responding to calls until 3 a.m.
They received about 1,200 calls on the flood, with around 800 of them coming from the boroughs of Pierrefonds-Roxboro and Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Guilbault said.
Around 25 firetrucks were dispatched to these regions. Eleven remain onsite. Guilbault says firefighters rescued about 12 individuals trapped in their cars. No injuries have been reported.
Four families were temporarily placed in a shelter due to flooding, but have since returned home.
Guilbault says about 300 basements were flooded, and estimates that Montreal received about 150 millimetres of rain.
‘Working through the night’
“We’ve been working through the night to ensure everyone was responded to,” he told CTV News.
Guilbault advises residents affected by flooding to shut off their home’s main circuit breaker. He says a certified electrician should verify the electrical system is safe before it is turned on.
Power was preemptively shut off in some areas due to heavy rainfall that caused localized flooding and water accumulation to ensure public safety, Hydro-Québec told CTV News.
“With water levels now having receded, Hydro‑Québec has begun restoring service, which will continue progressively throughout the morning, as crews ensure conditions are safe on the ground, including inside residences," said Paule Veilleux-Turcotte, a spokesperson for Hydro-Québec.
Montreal still under thunderstorm watch
On Saturday evening, more than 21,000 customers were without power in the West Island, predominantly in the Dollard‑des‑Ormeaux and Pierrefonds‑Roxboro areas.
To help minimize the impacts of the flood, Montreal police closed Pierrefonds Boulevard, Rue Fredmir, Rue Lavigne and Jacques Bizard in coordination with municipal authorities.
They told CTV News Sunday morning that those roads are no longer closed, and that they were called off the scenes at 2 a.m.
- READ MORE: Montreal under severe thunderstorm watch
A spokesperson for the YUL Montréal–Trudeau Airport says operations have returned to normal.
A lightning alert, triggered by severe weather conditions, temporarily halted ground operations on the apron on Saturday. The alert was lifted in the evening.
The flooding comes after Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the Greater Montreal area Saturday afternoon. The department issued another watch on Sunday morning.
