Ste. Marthe sur le Lac: Owners of flood-damaged homes turn to each other for support

Dozens of homes demolished near dike 56 Ste. Marthe sur le Lac homes must be destroyed after spring flooding

For Raymond Boucher and his wife, it was hard to watch as their home was demolished.

"It's sad especially considering the amount of energy, of money we spent. We spent. But we have to move on," said Boucher.

Their home was torn down Monday, one of 56 that is being ripped apart in Ste. Marthe sur le Lac after spring floods.

On one night in April one-third of the town on the shore of the Lake of Two Mountains was forced to evacuate their homes after a dike burst.

Guy Couture has been living with his girlfriend ever since.

"Yesterday I had a house and today I don't have a house. Overnight you're out, without nothing, your house is finished," said Couture.

While many residents whose homes are slated for destruction own their homes, they have been renting the land from a private developer so were forced to keep paying rent even though they could not live in the town.

A letter sent to homeowners from the developer said most of the leases will be thrown out once the homes are gone.

Meanwhile the dike is being repaired and will be ready by next spring.

"We don't want this to ever happen again," said Mayor Sonia Paulus. "As a flood victim myself I can relate to what residents are going through."

Boucher and his wife have been looking for somewhere else to live since April, but have yet to find anything.

"We don't feel like we belong anywhere else."