Provincial authorities warned it could be weeks before water levels return to normal and people will be able to return to their homes.Dario Ayala
Water levels are starting to edge downward in flood-soaked communities in southern Quebec, offering a small dose of relief to weary homeowners for whom hope has been as rare as sunshine in recent days.
Along with sandbags and water pumps, flood victims are being asked to equip themselves with patience, however. Provincial authorities warned it could be weeks before water levels return to normal and people will be able to return to their homes.
"We've got to be patient, but there is a situation of hope," Quebec Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux said Tuesday. "We reached the peaks and if the weather conditions remain as we expect them to be … we should see, very gradually, levels of water declining."
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The stabilizing of water levels offered a modicum of good news in what remains a dire outlook on the ground. Scenes of sleepless homeowners hauling belongings out of semi-submerged basements are still commonplace. Across Quebec, the number of municipalities hit by flooding has decreased to 166, but the number of people affected by the disaster has shot up: 2,721 citizens have been evacuated from their homes and 3,882 residences have been flooded, a jump of more than 1,000 homes in just one day.
The revised figures were released by authorities on Tuesday night.
"I can understand the worry, the anguish people feel right now," Premier Philippe Couillard said.
Ottawa averted a potential conflict with Quebec by assuring that the federal government would foot the bill for the 1,730 Canadian Forces soldiers – up from 1,650 on Monday – helping local authorities with flood relief.
In Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed that his government would pay for the entire cost of the military support operation.
"When Canadians are facing natural disasters or serious issues, we pull together, that's who we are," Mr. Trudeau said.
"Quebec and Ontario asked for military support and we're happy to give it and of course the federal government will assume all the costs related to support for Quebec and Ontario in these floods."
The move clarifies who will pick up the bill for the military operation, the cost of which is not yet known. Mr. Couillard said it had remained theoretically possible that the province would have to pick up some of the price tag, and he was relieved that Mr. Trudeau shut the door on the idea.
Both Ottawa and other levels of government have announced donations to the Red Cross to help flood victims. The federal government announced it will contribute $1-million to a Canadian Red Cross fund to help those affected by the flooding. Among other public donors, the Quebec government is pledging $500,000 to the fund and the city of Montreal, $250,000.
Federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said Canada's emergency-response plans may need updating in the future to deal with the consequences of climate change.
"What we have learned is that these kinds of disasters sadly are likely to occur at a more rapid pace in the future. They're likely to be larger. They're likely to be more costly and therefore what we thought in all good faith five years ago might well have been a good solid resilient plan may not be resilient enough as we go into the future," Mr. Goodale said.
While Quebec remains the province hardest hit by flooding, Mr. Goodale said there were also 100 evacuees in Ottawa, 30 in British Columbia and three in New Brunswick.
While the floods have brought extreme hardship to hundreds of people, it has been blamed for only one fatality to date. The body of Mike Gagnon, 37, was found on Monday after his car had been swept up in the surging Ste-Anne River in the province's Gaspé region. Search teams were still looking for a two-year-old girl who had been with him.