Major floods cause destruction in Quebec following several days of rain

Hundreds of residents have evacuated their homes in Quebec as local crews race to repair critical infrastructure after floods washed through several municipalities in recent days, and officials say they're expecting even more rain.

Hundreds of residents have evacuated their homes in Quebec as local crews race to repair critical infrastructure after floods washed through several municipalities in recent days, and officials say they're expecting even more rain. 

Quebec Public Safety Minister Francois Bonnardel made a plea to residents in Baie-Saint-Paul to be patient as repair crews work on local roads and stretches of highway destroyed by the water. 

On Monday, municipalities of Baie-Saint-Paul, in Charlevoix, and Saint-Côme, in Lanaudière, triggered their emergency measures due to high water, saturating roads, pushing down infrastructure, and seriously damaging homes.

Officials were not able to give a concrete timeline on when the roads would reopen. Bonnardel said "we need to be realistic."

Meanwhile, Saint-Jerome, Que. is experiencing exceptionally high waters as levels reach Quebec’s "major flood" category following several days of rain.

On Tuesday, a handful of flood surveillance stations reported waters higher than normal. Provincial forecasting suggests water levels will stay high for several days.

Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon near Lac Maskinongé and Pointe-Calumet, near Lac des Deux Montagnes saw medium flooding through Tuesday morning. It was a similar situation in the Saint-Agathe-des-Monts area, in Joliette, near the Dorwin Falls, surrounding Lac Sainte-Rose near Mastigouche, and in the Rivière Petit Saguenay.