Vignettes from a Quebec flood zone, where burst dike forced mass evacuation

Many say they’re worried about their homes, their pets and their futures but are grateful to be safe. (File Photo By Emilie Nadeau via @francoislegault/Twitter)

STE-MARTHE-SUR-LE-LAC, Que. – Thousands of residents from Ste-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, Que. are facing uncertainty after floodwaters breached a dike over the weekend, sending the Lake of Two Mountains rushing into their houses. Many say they’re worried about their homes, their pets and their futures but are grateful to be safe.

Here are a few of their stories.

Karolane De Gagne, 27, and Marc-Andre Dewar, 31

The young couple only became homeowners in October 2018 when they bought the house previously owned by De Gagne’s father.

On Monday, the couple and their friends were using a pump to blow up inflatable rafts, hoping to grab a few supplies for themselves and their five-month-old son. They say water has risen to within a foot of the main floor, and if it goes any higher, the place will be a total loss.

De Gagne and Dewar say they’re living in a state of uncertainty, not knowing what will happen or when they’ll be able to go back. Their dream of a home where they could raise their family has become “a terrible nightmare,” De Gagne said.

Even if a few things can be saved, they aren’t sure they’ll stay.

“We’re asking ourselves if we’re willing to take the risk with our young family that this situation happens again,” De Gagne said. “I don’t think we can live through this again.”

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Jean-Maurice Vandergoten, 52

Jean-Maurice Vandergoten needed the army’s help to escape with his two dogs after water suddenly rose to chest height outside the home where he has lived for 23 years. He made it to an amphibious vehicle carrying his large dog above his head, he said. On Monday, he was back on his street, hoping to rescue the three cats that remained in the home.

Despite the stress and uncertainty, he said he was grateful nobody appears to have been hurt.

“It’s a real miracle when you think about it,” he said. “In about half an hour, the whole area was underwater, and there’s no people dead, no injured and everyone is OK. It was a really good job by the authorities.”

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George Gaudreault and Nicole Gaudreault-Boudreau, both 69

The couple, who weren’t home when the evacuation order occurred, understood what was happening only when images of their flooded street started playing on repeat on French-language television.

Gaudreault and his wife, who are both diabetic, were left without their medications, and have had to borrow clothing from family members since they haven’t been home. Gaudreault realized he couldn’t even call his insurance company to inquire about coverage, because all his documents were in the house.

He said the area has never flooded before.

“Even two years ago in (the floods) of 2017, the water rose, yes, but (the dike) never collapsed. Everyone was taken by surprise, because it looked good. The night before I went to look, and the water was three, four, feet from the top.”

But it wasn’t all bad news for the couple on Monday.

By late afternoon, Gaudreault-Boudreau was once again in tears, but this time they were tears of joy: the couple’s three beloved cats were being unloaded from a boat unharmed, saved from the floodwaters by an animal rescue group.

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Suzanne, 56

Suzanne, who did not wish to give her last name, lives with her 29-year-old autistic son. The 56-year-old said that when she went home following the evacuation order, water was up to her ankles. Five minutes later, it had reached her calves.

“I felt like I was in a war zone, with helicopters, (armoured vehicles) – a real war zone,” she said.

Now, she has no idea how much water is in her house, and she still hasn’t been able to reach her clothes or retrieve her cat, Hector.

She said she can’t bring herself to think about the future without crying. “If I do, I’ll raise the water levels even higher,” she said.