Michael Simeonidis’s clothes were still hanging where they were left to dry from the last flood when they got soaked again.
The Montreal resident was woken up at 5:30 a.m. by his water alarm to discover his basement on Norman Street in Montreal’s northwestern Saint-Laurent borough had been flooded for the second time in a month.
“It’s not so bad,” he said standing in about 30 centimetres of water. “I mean it’s bad, but it’s not so bad because there’s no furniture. Everything was destroyed the first time — July 10.”
That’s when the sewer at the end of his street was overwhelmed as remnants of Hurricane Beryl passed through. On Friday morning, it struggled to cope with the remnants of tropical storm Debby.
Another resident, Jimmy Plaitias, says flooding has become a yearly occurrence for Norman Street residents.
“We go to the city every year. We email them, we make our claims and they don’t take responsibility,” he said. “We need help.”
His insurance went from $1,800 to $5,500 and no longer covers sewage backup water, he says.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECC) has issued a rainfall warning for all of southern Quebec. Some areas, such as Berthierville—Saint-Gabriel in the Lanaudière, are expected to received up to 120 millimetres of rainfall by Saturday.
A total of 70 to 100 millimetres of rain is expected for the island of Montreal area Friday. The city’s rainfall average for the whole month of August stands at 94.1 millimetres.
“It does taper through the night so that it’s clear of the Montreal region by Saturday morning,” said Jennifer Smith, ECC national warning preparedness meteorologist.
The remnants of Hurricane Debby hit Quebec on Friday, bringing torrential rains that flooded roads in Montreal.
Saint-Laurent Mayor Alan DeSousa says the borough saw about 40 millimetres of rain this morning.
“It’s been a very busy morning,” he said. Norman Street has not been the borough’s only problem. He says the City of Montreal needs to look into why the area is so susceptible to flooding.
Some residents, including Plaitias, met with DeSousa Tuesday but say they weren’t given much support. DeSousa, for his part, says one of the options they have is to make the claim with the city.
“This was not an act of God,” he said, blaming it instead on the city’s infrastructure.
Transport Ministry spokesperson Louis-André Bertrand said in Montreal, Highway 40, near Côte-de-Liesse Road, and Highway 13 northbound were affected. Teams are on the ground to pump water back into the sewer system.
“This is an extraordinary amount of rain,” he said. “No sewer system can take that.”
Bertrand said the agency focused on clearing roads of debris in the lead-up to the storm to facilitate drainage.
The downtown Montreal shelter Resilience is also experiencing flooding, according to a post on X by Na’kuset of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal.
Montreal spokesperson Hugo Bourgoin said the city’s 311 service centre received more than 250 calls about flooding as some underpasses and residential basements have been affected. He said teams have been in the field, working on solutions.
He said people are encouraged to call 311 if street catch basins are overflowing or water is exceeding curbs and advancing toward private property.
“Due to climate change, projections indicate that very intense rains will occur more frequently,” he said, adding that Montreal is taking steps to enhance its resilience against such environmental challenges.
For example, the city is creating sponge parks, which direct street runoff and, during heavy rains, absorb a significant volume of water, he said.
Still, water will accumulate in low-lying areas during heavy rains, Bourgoin said, and the most effective home protection is the installation of backwater valves and ensuring landscaping slants away from buildings.
Building owners are also encouraged to consult Montreal’s website for tips and recommendations on how to properly protect their properties against sewer backups and urban flooding.
Event cancellations in Quebec City and Montreal
The rainy and windy forecast has led to event cancellations in Quebec City.
Comedy festival ComediHa! Fest is cancelling its outdoor shows hosted by Phil Roy scheduled for later Friday evening.
Music festival Cigale also announced the cancellation of artist Loud’s show, which was scheduled for 7 p.m. at Quebec City’s Old Port.
Strong winds and heavy showers threaten the safety of its stage crew, the festival said in a Facebook post Thursday.
Pride Montreal has also decided to cancel all of its outdoor events Friday, which included its Community Day on Ste-Catherine Street East and drag evening at the Olympic Stadium. The festival’s indoor events will go on as scheduled.