{"id":594462,"date":"2026-04-19T22:30:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T22:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/594462\/"},"modified":"2026-04-19T22:30:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T22:30:10","slug":"everything-is-under-control-says-premier-as-quebec-deals-with-spring-flooding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/594462\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Everything is under control&#8217; says premier as Quebec deals with spring flooding"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Several municipalities in Quebec are grappling with floods, with many residents evacuated from their homes. <\/p>\n<p>During a\u00a0briefing\u00a0Sunday afternoon,\u00a0Quebec Premier Christine Fr\u00e9chette said four regions were being closely monitored,\u00a0including the Outaouais region, Argenteuil, Quebec City and Lanaudi\u00e8re.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We have established close contact with the mayors of these regions and cities,&#8221; she said, adding that the government is ready to jump in and assist if help is needed.<\/p>\n<p>Fr\u00e9chette said it&#8217;s important for citizens to stay informed and listen to instructions from local officials, as the situation can evolve quickly.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;What\u00a0I can say for now, is that everything is under control,&#8221; she said.  <\/p>\n<p>On Sunday afternoon, <a href=\"https:\/\/vigilance.geo.msp.gouv.qc.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Quebec authorities reported<\/a> one major flood in the province, on the  Coulonge River in the Outaouais region, seven moderate floods, 27 minor floods and 18 bodies of water under observation.<\/p>\n<p>In the Greater Montreal area, authorities were on high alert, as the peak of rising water levels could occur late Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>The coming hours could prove challenging, said Jean Brazeau, regional director for the Laurentians and Lanaudi\u00e8re regions for Quebec\u2019s Public Security Ministry. The flow of the Ottawa River is expected to rise significantly, which could affect homes along the Rivi\u00e8re des Prairies.<\/p>\n<p>The cities of Laval and Montreal are monitoring the situation, said Brazeau, who added that no municipality had, so far, requested assistance from the Ministry of Public Security.<\/p>\n<p>Public Security Minister Ian Lafreni\u00e8re visited Pierrefonds-Roxboro on Sunday, where preventive measures \u2014 including the placement of sandbags \u2014 were underway.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The good news is that it\u2019s cold. We hope that with the cold weather, there will be less snowmelt to help stabilize the level [of the Rivi\u00e8re des Prairies],&#8221; he told Radio-Canada.<\/p>\n<p>In a news release late Sunday afternoon, the City of Montreal announced the closure of Chemin de l\u2019Anse-\u00e0-l\u2019Orme, between Chemin de Senneville and Timberlea-Trail, &#8220;to ensure the safety of residents.&#8221; The closure, will last as &#8220;long as necessary.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Emergency Measures Coordination Centre <a href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/794026601d0f454980a391c5d4d7821d?draft=true&amp;org=CSC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">has posted a map showing road conditions<\/a> on the island, in a bid to facilitate travel for Montrealers.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A dike has been erected in the Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough.\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776637809_104_default.jpg\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7777777777777777\" data-cy=\"image-img\"\/>A dike in the Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough. (Radio-Canada)<\/p>\n<p>Luc Bourassa, spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Security, said as of 11:30 a.m., over 600 residents were either isolated because of rivers coming out of their beds or affected by minor flooding.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The system that is currently leaving rain, between 15 and 30 millimetres of rain across Quebec, is moving from west to east, between the [Ottawa River] all the way to the Capitale-Nationale,&#8221; Bourassa told CBC.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;So all the regions in between \u2014 Outaouais, Laurentians, Lanaudi\u00e8re, Mauricie and the Quebec City area \u2014 have multiple rivers overflowing right now.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>That said, Bourassa stated that the evacuation situation was not &#8220;dire&#8221; even though some evacuations have taken place across the province.<\/p>\n<p>Some basements of homes on Rang Saint-Martin in Saguenay have been flooded. City officials and firefighters have already met with the affected residents.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A section of Rang Saint-Joseph in Saguenay was washed away by the waters.\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776637809_995_default.jpg\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7777777777777777\" data-cy=\"image-img\"\/>A section of Rang Saint-Joseph in Saguenay was washed away by the waters. (Anissa Leduc\/Radio-Canada)<\/p>\n<p>The situation is particularly critical in Lanaudi\u00e8re and the Laurentians: nearly 100 homes are flooded, including about 65 in Mont-Tremblant, according to officials.<\/p>\n<p>The municipality added that the situation remained under control and no major incidents had been reported Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>Bridges closed <\/p>\n<p>The \u00cele-aux-Chats area in Saint-Andr\u00e9-d\u2019Argenteuil circulation is limited to one lane of alternating traffic. <\/p>\n<p>There were fears Sunday morning that the bridge would be closed, which would&#8217;ve cut off the area and isolated some 100 homes in the area. But according to local civil security officials, due to rainfall forecasts that have been revised downwards, the bridge is unlikely to close.  <\/p>\n<p>The bridge on Terrasse Robillard Street in that municipality closed on Friday and left 29 properties isolated, according to Brazeau. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"The parking lot at Archibald Microbrasserie, a microbrewery in Lac-Beauport, was flooded when the Rivi\u00e8re Jaune overflowed.\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776637810_382_default.jpg\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.3333333333333333\" data-cy=\"image-img\"\/>The parking lot at Archibald Microbrasserie, a microbrewery in Lac-Beauport, was flooded when the Rivi\u00e8re Jaune overflowed. (Radio-Canada)<\/p>\n<p>In the Capitale-Nationale region, the Rivi\u00e8re Jaune has been overflowing since Saturday evening, forcing the municipality of Lac-Beauport to close two bridges. <\/p>\n<p>Local authorities believe, however, that the situation leveled off this morning and that the worst is over.<\/p>\n<p>In Quebec City, the Saint-Charles River was also overflowing on Sunday, flooding a nearby park. <\/p>\n<p>Environment Canada issued a storm surge warning for Quebec City on Sunday, forecasting higher-than-normal water levels along the city&#8217;s riverbanks at Monday&#8217;s high tide.  <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Rue Jacques-B\u00e9dard\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776637810_718_default.jpg\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.3333333333333333\" data-cy=\"image-img\"\/>A house on Jacques-B\u00e9dard Street, in Quebec City, was surrounded by water after the Saint-Charles River overflowed on Sunday. (J\u00e9r\u00e9mie Camirand\/Radio-Canada)<\/p>\n<p>Roads are also closed due to spring flooding in the Abitibi-T\u00e9miscamingue, C\u00f4te-Nord, Laurentians, Lanaudi\u00e8re, Outaouais, and Capitale-Nationale regions, according to the Ministry of Transport.  <\/p>\n<p>164 homes at risk of flooding in Gatineau<\/p>\n<p>And as the water levels of the Ottawa and Gatineau rivers continue to rise, following warm weather and rainfall, around 164 buildings are at risk of flooding, Denis Doucet, civil security director, said during a news conference Sunday morning.<\/p>\n<p>Doucet said water levels in the Gatineau region were expected to peak Monday before beginning to stabilize by the weekend. He warned the region could remain at risk for at least two more weeks due to sustained high water levels and potential snowmelt from the north.<\/p>\n<p>Forty-one streets have also been closed across the city and emergency crews stepped up overnight response efforts. Mayor Maude Marquis-Bissonnette said firefighters went door-to-door to warn residents living in homes at risk of flooding.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The situation is under control at the moment; we&#8217;re familiar with it,&#8221; she said at the briefing.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Unfortunately, the organization is well-prepared for this type of event. We urge people to prepare accordingly.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Environment Canada said colder temperatures are expected in the coming days, which could help stabilize river levels across the province. <\/p>\n<p>Fr\u00e9chette, however, said provincial authorities will continue to monitor the situation closely, as rainfall is expected in some areas over the next two to three days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Several municipalities in Quebec are grappling with floods, with many residents evacuated from their homes. During a\u00a0briefing\u00a0Sunday afternoon,\u00a0Quebec&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":594463,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[192,79],"class_list":["post-594462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=594462"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594462\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/594463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=594462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=594462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=594462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}