Quyon, Que., residents return home after forced evacuation
Some homes were severely damaged by floodwaters, residents say
Dozens of residents forced to leave the village of Quyon, Que., due to floods are returning home after a mandatory evacuation order was lifted this weekend.
More than 100 residents from the western Quebec community were ordered to leave amid worries that a dike which holds back floodwaters from the Ottawa and Quyon rivers would fail.
Officials invited some people back to their homes Saturday once the dike was reinforced and re-elevated.
"They evacuated me on Monday morning … I just had half an hour to get packing," said Grace Gibbons, a 77-year-old flood victim who returned home this weekend.
Gibbons said Sunday that her home of 55 years managed to escape the worst, with floodwater only entering her basement.
She called the dike "a good idea."
"[The floods] would have done more damage to the properties if it [didn't] get built," Gibbons said.
Homes severely damaged
Not all Quyon residents were as fortunate as Gibbons, however. Some had to take a canoe just to see their home, while others still haven't been able to return.
Stacy Johnston, 35, said one family in her neighbourhood is still seeking shelter at the Tim Hortons camp in western Quebec, which opened its doors to flood victims last weekend.
"Their house actually didn't hold up. They ended up with four feet of water gushing into their basement [and] into their furnace and everything," she said.
"It's worse than what they saw in 2017," Johnston said. "It's hard for someone to lose their house like that."
Ferry service resumes
The Quyon Ferry, which connects the village to rural west Ottawa, was up and running again at 7 a.m. Sunday after being shut down because of the flooding.
The restored dike will be will be regularly monitored by the Canadian Armed Forces and the public works department, officials said.
After experiencing the second flood in two years, both Gibbons and Johnston said the municipality needs to look into long-term options for a dike that can withstand heavy floodwaters.
With files from Stu Mills