People who live in the town of Rigaud along the Ottawa River are being told they should leave town within 24 hours, or risk being left to fend for themselves.
The town, which was heavily affected by the flooding in the spring of 2017, is once again under a flood alert, with the river already spilling over into people's backyards. And with heavy rain expected to begin within the next 24 hours, Gruenwald says much of the town will once again be flooded in no time.
"You can realize we're reacting why we're reacting. We need to get the people out of there," Gruenwald said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. "I'm talking about lives. I'm not talking about structures."
He adds there's no time to distribute sandbags to residents, and that those who refuse to leave their homes can't expect rescue workers to put their lives at risk for them.
Meanwhile, there are indications that some Rigaud residents won't heed the warning. Some are telling CTV Montreal that they're concerned about their properties — saying the town failed to provide them with adequate sandbags.
A visibly worried Rigaud Mayor Hans Gruenwald is urging shoreline residents to evacuate. Says water will come fast and at levels potentially higher than 2017 #CJAD800 pic.twitter.com/t40Tfg38Ht
— Matt Gilmour (@MGilmourMTL) April 18, 2019
These guys had to go into town to get their own sandbags. The town of Rigaud will not be delivering sand to residents, saying there isn’t enough time. Waters are expected to rise rapidly in next 24hrs #CJAD800 pic.twitter.com/4ouvrO40Nd
— Matt Gilmour (@MGilmourMTL) April 18, 2019
The water is getting closer and closer to the road and quite a few Rigaud residents are refusing to evacuate. They’ve ordered sand by the truck full and will be bagging all day #CJAD800 pic.twitter.com/wDun5hQ6vD
— Matt Gilmour (@MGilmourMTL) April 18, 2019
These low lying houses suffered extensive damage during the 2017 floods. They’ve since been lifted, waterproof foundations added. Now residents are saying they don’t want to evacuate. City of Rigaud believes flooding could reach 2017 levels this weekend. #CJAD800 pic.twitter.com/XjNRLtiEWR
— Matt Gilmour (@MGilmourMTL) April 18, 2019