About 10 homes in Aylmer and Gatineau affected by flooding

Mélissa Gélinas

During the spring flood update presented at the April 28 press briefing, water levels were revised downward, despite the number of homes affected.

According to data from the Ottawa River Regulation Planning Commission, the water will rise slower than expected. As a result, the anticipated number of affected buildings has also decreased. However, Mayor Maude Marquis-Bissonnette notes that caution must be exercised regarding the changing weather situation. "We'll have to monitor the low-pressure system and the rain that will arrive in the coming days," she said.

"The floods have arrived earlier this year," explained the mayor. "The first took place roughly around March, and we're currently in the second, which usually arrives around May."

More than 60,000 sandbags will be available for residents. "The bags will be placed at a municipal storage site on Pink Road, which will be open from 8 am to 5 pm," the mayor explained.

As of April 29, several firefighter visits took place at properties in the Gatineau and Masson-Angers sectors. According to Maude Marquis-Bissonnette, the water level in the Aylmer sector would likely peak on Thursday and Friday, May 1 and 2. As for the eastern sector of the city, the water level was expected to be reached by Saturday, May 3. "Although the situation fluctuates, we are still following the same scenarios we presented earlier this week," she said.

The most affected areas include Fraser Road and Lamoureux Street in Aylmer, Chemin du Fer-à-cheval, Jacques-Cartier Street, and Hurtubise Boulevard in Gatineau. Among these areas, approximately ten homes are affected. "Door-to-door visits to the people concerned are being planned," the mayor said.

Currently, no streets have been flooded. "We are not in scenarios like we were in 2017, 2019, and 2020," she emphasized. "This is a situation we are monitoring hourly," she added.

Forecasts indicate that water levels will reach a lower threshold than those of 2023.