At least 2,800 homes in the Richelieu Valley were flooded as of Thursday morning. (Courtesy of Riaz Lakhanisky)
Residents along Quebec's Richelieu River honked their car horns and waved in delight as Canadian soldiers arrived Thursday to help flood victims in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, south of Montreal.
'We'll be filling out sandbags, distributing whether food or water, protecting any infrastructure, or if requested, evacuating people,' 2nd Lt. Julien Beauchamp-Laliberte says about soldiers' flood relief efforts.Melissa Kent/CBC NewsOn Wednesday, the Quebec government formally asked the Canadian military to come in to support local emergency officials already on the ground.
"Basically, we'll be filling out sandbags, distributing whether food or water, protecting any infrastructure, or if requested, evacuating people," said 2nd Lt. Julien Beauchamp-Laliberté.
About 500 soldiers have been sent to the area from CFB Valcartier. Another 100 reservists from the Montreal area will also help out.
Premier Jean Charest, who will arrive in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday to survey the damage, said the military was called in because extraordinary circumstances call for extaordinary measures.
Quebec's Montérégie region is experiencing the worst flooding in 150 years. Courtesy of Riaz LakhaniskyAt least 3,000 homes and businesses have been flooded in the Richelieu Valley, and 1,000 people had left their homes by Thursday morning in the worst flooding in the region in 150 years.
The Richelieu's water level rose to 1.2 metres above normal Wednesday, and Environment Canada is predicting rain for the area until Saturday.
The number of municipalities affected by the breached banks of the Richelieu jumped from 10 to 17 Thursday, due to high water levels in two tributaries to the north.
Six emergency shelters have been set up for people seeking refuge.
Septic tanks have also overflowed in several municipalities, forcing town officials to install portable toilets for residents.
