LAURENTIANS, Que.- Firefighters in L’Ascension, Que., faced the jagged edge of a massive hole just outside their fire hall as the town faced the daunting task of rebuilding.
The village of 900 people north of Mont-Tremblant declared a state of emergency after landslides washed away part of the main street, along with several other smaller rural roads.
“We’ve been rebuilding passageways as fast as we can,” said contractor Cedric Legault. “Some people are stuck on the other side of the collapsed section of the road.”
A rainstorm brought more than 105 millimetres of rain from Sunday evening to Monday afternoon. That downpour triggered a cascade of destructive events. The nearby Rivière-Rouge, along with lakes, overflowed their banks, spilling onto roads.
“It was a deluge,” said Eugene Aksanyncza, who was in his car with his wife watching crews repair a stretch of road so he could travel between his home and the centre of town.
“It was scary, actually. I have lived here for years and never seen anything like it.”
Electricity was cut off to some homes, and Hydro-Quebec workers spent the day repairing downed poles and wires.
L’Ascension was essentially cut in half, as rushing water ripped up sections of asphalt and collapsed culverts.
Near Lac Fraser, several cottagers and full-time residents hunkered down in their homes.
“It was absolutely stunning to see the damage done in such a short period,” said Penny Arn, who spent the storm in her A-frame cottage. The rain woke her up in the middle of the night.
“The magnitude of this and the frequency of these storms are increasing. With climate change, we have to be prepared for more events.”
Several floods have hit Quebec, including the Montreal area, over the past few weeks, causing damage to homes and roads. Other areas outside L’Ascension were also hit, with many damaged by the rushing Rivière-Rouge River, which was rising eight centimetres an hour and remains high.
“We keep hearing about these floods this summer, and then it hit here,” said Jocelyne Larose.
Her husband was trapped at home as she stared at the damage on the main street.
Contractors estimate it will take several weeks for all roads to be reopened. They are focusing on areas where there is only one passable road leading to homes and cottages.
