One year after the floods, Rigaud residents still rebuilding

QC Floods: A year of rebuilding for Rigaud One year after an emergency state was declared and flooding took over, Rigaud residents are rebuilding their lives.

One year ago today, Rigaud declared a state of emergency.

The town was one of the municipalities hit hardest by spring flooding – the military was called in, and many were forced from their homes.

Today, the water line is lower, but people are still trying to recover.

On Bill Bradley’s property, the water was waist deep. He says he worked hard to save his home, until the army showed up.

“We got forcibly evacuated,” he said. “They said ‘handcuffs and a charge against you if you don’t get out.”

Bradley’s ceramics workshop is also on his property, and he says he’s only received partial compensation from the Quebec government. Finding a contractor to execute repairs has proven to be similarly difficult.

At the time of the flooding, approximately 260 files were opened in Rigaud. Today, 177 of those files are still in progress.

A total of 37 homes have been torn down, too structurally damaged by the flood to remain standing.

Rigaud’s mayor remembers the day he declared a state of emergency.

“We pray that mother nature – as a matter of fact, I have sore knees because I pray every day – that this never happens again,” Mayor Hans Gruenwald Jr. said.

Over the past year, the Mayor faced criticism for how the municipality handled the disaster.

Gruenwald said the ultimate goal moving forwards is to have less people living in flood zones.

“You have to be smart about this, because we’ve learned this last year – once the water arrives, there’s no turning off the tap,” he explained.

Rigaud is monitoring water levels this spring, and for now, things are stable.

Last week the province announced improvements to the flood compensation program.

“Next time I think we’ll be much more reactive and much faster in compensating people and treating demands,” Premier Philippe Couillard said Friday.

But all this is of little comfort to those still struggling.

“I wouldn’t mind moving to higher land,” Bradley said. “But it’d have to be a piece of property where I could have the shop. So I’m kind of stuck.”

Meanwhile, Gruenwald is looking to the future.

“Nevertheless, we are mentally ready. We will deal with this when it comes, how it comes, and whatever comes,” he said.