Flooding 2019: Ottawa-Gatineau, eastern Ontario, western Quebec

[David Baxter PhD]

Several Ottawa roads closed due to flooding
CBC News
Apr 20, 2019

Officials warning drivers to be cautious

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Re: Flooding in the Ottawa-Gatineau area, eastern Ontario, and western Quebec.

Spring flooding claims 1 victim in western Quebec
Globalnews.ca
April 20, 2019



A woman in her 70s is dead after floodwaters washed out a road in the municipality of Pontiac, Que., overnight.
Authorities in the small town on the north shore of the Ottawa River, roughly 45 kilometres west of Ottawa, confirmed the death on Twitter Saturday morning.

Police said the woman was driving on Bronson-Bryant Road when her vehicle plunged several metres into a stream after a culvert was washed away.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Re: Flooding in the Ottawa-Gatineau area, eastern Ontario, and western Quebec

Aerial views of the 2019 floods
CBC News
Apr 22, 2019

Views of Ottawa, Gatineau and other areas of the Outaouais

Aerial view of the flooding in Ottawa and the Outaouais. 1:25

With river levels still gradually rising in parts of the region, CBC News sent a helicopter up into the sky Monday for a slightly different perspective.

This aerial view captures the power of local rivers in Ottawa, Gatineau and across western Quebec.

In Gatineau, approximately 50 homes have been evacuated, while nearby Pontiac, Que., continues to make emergency preparations.










Building a temporary bridge in Cumberland




See Live embedded map to zoom in or out and move the map focus.

 

[Daniel E.]

Regarding driving:

You should never attempt to drive through floodwaters, period.

It's easy to misjudge the depth of floodwater, particularly at night. Sometimes the bridge or road masked by flood water may have been undermined or completely washed out.

According to FEMA:

- 6 inches of water will reach the bottom of most passenger cars, causing loss of control and potential stalling.
- 1 foot of water will float many vehicles.
- 2 feet of rushing water will carry away most vehicles, including SUVs and pickups.

https://weather.com/storms/severe/news/flood-deaths-united-states-near-200

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Ottawa declares state of emergency as water keeps rising
CBC News
Apr 25, 2019

Water now forecast to rise above May 2017 peak levels in some areas

Steve Tousignant watches the Ottawa River from the deck of his home in Constance Bay on May 8, 2017. Authorities are warning the river could soon surpass peak levels reached during major flooding two years ago, prompting the City of Ottawa to call a state of emergency on Thursday. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press)

The City of Ottawa has declared a state of emergency as river levels continue to rise, threatening to surpass those reached when flooding devastated some neighbourhoods two years ago.

Mayor Jim Watson made the announcement during a news conference Thursday afternoon.We can no longer do it alone.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement predicting up to 35 millimetres of rain by Saturday morning, and river authorities are now forecasting that in some areas, the water could rise up to 11 centimetres above peak levels reached in May 2017.

Watson said he's also asked for help from the Canadian Armed Forces, and has been told 400 troops will be deployed to key areas.

"We can no longer do it alone," Watson said. "We are now beyond our city's capacity, and that is why we have called in the Armed Forces."

Watson said he expects the troops will be on the ground by Friday morning.

City manager Steve Kanellakos said the city felt prepared until the latest forecast from Environment Canada.

"I can say with certainty that the flooding situation has changed almost in the blink of an eye," he said.
He said the city could remain in a state of emergency for some time.

"I cannot tell you how long we will be in this state of emergency. If the flooding is severe there could be weeks of recovery operations."

Premier Doug Ford has also pledged the provincial government's support, and will visit the region on Friday.

While levels on the Rideau River have stabilized, the Ottawa River is expected to rise about half a metre from Constance Bay to east of Cumberland by the weekend, according to South Nation Conservation.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

More photos of current flood conditions...



An Ottawa resident works on his pump as waters surround his home on April 26, 2019. The city says people living in certain neighbourhoods could be asked to voluntarily leave their homes in the coming days. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)



Water pools in front of a doghouse in Ottawa's Cumberland neighbourhood on April 26, 2019. (Stu Mills/CBC)



A member of the Canadian military helps transport sandbags through flood waters to residents on Friday. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)




A home on Rue Glaude in Gatineau, Que., is entirely surrounded by sandbags on Thursday, April 25, 2019. (David Richard/Radio-Canada)

 

[David Baxter PhD]

The Ottawa River's fury as seen from the air
CBC News
May 2, 2019

Transport Canada photos show the extent of flooding across the region

Flooding along the Ottawa River near Pontiac Bay. (Transport Canada)

The Ottawa River is at levels never seen in its recorded history in places, swamping neighbourhoods and flooding homes.

Transport Canada flew a plane over the region on April 29 to get an overview of the flooding along the river.

The images below show the extent of flooding in many of those communities.

The Chaudière Falls are seen from the air. (Transport Canada )

Ottawa's Britannia neighbourhood, where waters are expected to peak on Thursday, is seen from the air. (Transport Canada )

Constance Bay in Ottawa's rural west end is seen from the air. Much of the area has since been evacuated because flood waters have risen. (Transport Canada )

The paths near Parliament Hill have been completely flooded and closed by the National Capital Commission. (Transport Canada)

The National Capital Commission has closed all access to Bate Island because of the rising waters. (Transport Canada )

The Hull Marina in Gatineau, Que, is under water. (Transport Canada )

Homes in the Pointe-Gatineau neighbourhood have been consumed by the flood waters. (Transport Canada )

Petrie Island in Ottawa's east end is essentially underwater. (Transport Canada)

Homes in the Clarence-Rockland, Ont., area east of Ottawa are being surrounded by rising river water. (Transport Canada. )

 

[David Baxter PhD]

'The 500-year flood': Dozens forced from homes in Whitewater Township
by Krystalle Ramlakhan, CBC News
May 12, 2019

About 100 homes hit by Ottawa River floodwaters

Water nearly submerges a sign in Westmeath, Ont., a community in Whitewater Region township, on May 12, 2019. Many people can only access their homes by boat, and dozens have decided to leave. (Martin Weaver/CBC)

Dozens of people in the Township of Whitewater Region have been forced from their homes as water levels on the Ottawa River peaked this weekend.

The Renfrew County, Ont., township is about 140 kilometres northwest of downtown Ottawa, and includes nearly 90 kilometres of shoreline.

About 100 homes have been affected by flooding, Mayor Michael Moore said Sunday.

He said families have fled roughly 50 homes in the area. Some are staying with family, Moore said, while others are living in motels.

Moore said people tried to protect their homes with sandbags, but water either poured over the top of got in through the groundwater when sump pumps couldn't keep up.
The area was also hit by flooding in 2017.

'Very discouraged'
"They were very discouraged because some of them worked two weeks and eventually had to leave," Moore said. "If the wall of water didn't get them, it was the water in the basement that did."

Some people in the township who've stayed behind can only get to and from their homes by boat.
The military has been carrying out wellness checks daily by boat, and troops are on call at night in case they need to assist fire and ambulance services in an emergency.

In all, about 150 members of the Canadian Armed Forces are deployed across the Ottawa Valley.

About 100 homes have been affected by flooding in the Township of Whitewater Region and about 50 homes have been evacuated, according to Mayor Michael Moore. (Martin Weaver/CBC)

Volunteers working hard
"We're very fortunate to have the military here, and they're a great help. And the Ministry of Natural Resources are here as well," said Moore. "So we have lots of help, but we needed it this time. The locals are calling it the 500-year flood."

Moore said people who aren't affected have been helping with sandbagging.

People have been gathering at the Westmeath Recreation Centre for the past three weeks to support those affected by flooding, he added. About 300 people a day are being fed at the centre, all with donated food.

"It's all done by volunteers," said Moore. "When we first started, we thought maybe [it would last] a week or 10 days. But now that we're almost three weeks in, the food is still coming in. So it's wonderful to see the community come together."

He said about 240,000 sandbags have been made available for township residents. Officials are telling people not to remove their sandbags yet as water levels are still high.

The county is also hosting a town hall Monday afternoon at the Ma-te-Way Activity Centre in Renfrew, Ont., for flood-affected residents who have questions for public officials.

"We've got a long stretch ahead of us. The watershed people are expecting high water in this area up until the first week of June, so it's going to be a long month." Moore said. "[A] very long, discouraging month."

 

[GaryQ]

I thought the water levels would have receded by now.
Without Satellite TV till October and not much into internet advertising (I mean news) I’m pretty much in the dark as to what’s been going on outside of my appartement

 

[David Baxter PhD]

The water levels had started to recede about a week or more ago but then we got hit with more rain and then came warmer days melting ice and snow and that basically caused the levels to rise again significantly. We may see some drop in levels again in some areas starting tomorrow but I think they are predicting it won't be until Tuesday or Wednesday for many areas north, northeast, and northwest of Ottawa, as well as areas bordering the Ottawa River and other waterways to the south like the Rideau River.