Exhaustion from flooding has set in for many residents in Gatineau. While flood waters are stabilizing, many properties are still surrounded by water with a threat of a possible second peak on the horizon. Residents who have been in this position multiple times over the last decade say officials need to do a better job of mitigating flood risk and handling the aftermath. Residents want answers and help. Some have dealt with four floods in less than a decade and although waters are receding for now, their ordeal is far from over. For the homes in Gatineau that are surrounded by water, many have sump pumps going at all times of the day. “‘The river comes up so high that it’s not going to stop it,” said Farhad Derakhshan, who lives in Gatineau with his family. “Ten sump pumps is going to slow it down, but damage can happen.” Derakhshan says he and his family are getting by but it’s not easy. “At what cost,” he said. “Who is supposed to pay for this. We don’t have toilets because all the sewer system is backed up so we can’t use the toilet, we have to rent a porta potty.” As many streets and neighbourhoods remain flooded, residents are raising questions and asking for more help. “The roads are never shut down in time,” said John Savage, who lives in Gatineau. “People are racing through the waters like it’s a Jeep commercial. There’s also no warnings here in Gatineau, but we see lots of families strolling around the flood zone, inhaling this contaminated dust along with the rest of the residents, where it goes into our homes.” Gatineau’s mayor says the response to the flood will be studied. “There is public consultation that are planned in the next few months,” said Maude Marquis-Bissonnette, the mayor of Gatineau. “Those measures need to be planned with Quebec and with experts as well because we know that when we save some neighbours, when we build, for instance, a permanent dike, we might flood other people elsewhere. So, we need to be very vigilant with those kinds of measures.” Marquis-Bissonnette says 95 households have registered with the disaster relief centre and 41 people are in temporary lodging through the Red Cross. City officials say the highest peak was around April 22, when approximately 190 buildings could have been flooded. The city plans to start re-opening some roads this weekend. “‘There is a risk of erosion as well as possible damages to the street so before we re-open the road, we will make sure that the streets are still safe,” said Marquis-Bissonnette. Even as waters recede, people who live here say they don’t want to live through this again. “Some people are really suffering, their basement is flooded bad,” said Derakhshan. The water levels in Hull have dropped 11 centimetres since peaking on Tuesday, but with more snowmelt in the northern part of the watershed expected, officials warn a second flood peak could happen in the coming weeks.
