Thousands of residents of the town of Ste-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, on the north side of the Lake of Two Mountains, had only minutes to clear out of town on Saturday evening after a dike gave way and flooded a large section of the town almost instantly.
Sgt. Daniel Thibodeau with the Sûreté du Québec says about 5,000 residents had to flee about 2,600 homes over a 50-block area, after a dike gave way in the Laurentians.
"The water came in around suppertime, and when the dike broke it rose so quickly that officials were quickly asked to evacuate people," Thibodeau told CJAD 800's Ken Connors. "Lives were saved here last night, I'm convinced of it. People had seconds to take some personal possessions and animals, and what they had on their back.
Imagine being told at 5 a.m. that you have 15 minutes to take what you want and to leave your house immediately. That was Ed's morning. He lives near where the dike broke in Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac. #CJAD800 pic.twitter.com/z8pw8IToQu
— Saif Kaisar (@StaySaif) April 28, 2019
SQ officers were deployed to the affected neighborhoods by 7 p.m., with megaphones, and going door-to-door, urging people to leave their homes without delay.
Residents were sent to Olympia Arena in Deux-Montagnes. The arena, incidentally, is one of two shelters that are being made available for affected residents — the other is at the Royal Canadian Legion branch in Deux-Montagnes.
Meanwhile, the entire town was placed under a boil water advisory early on Sunday, until further notice.
An SQ helicopter helping with evac operations in Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac. #CJAD800 pic.twitter.com/fcGGaFmWbN
— Saif Kaisar (@StaySaif) April 28, 2019
A nearby group of volunteers in Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, helping military with sandbagging efforts. #CJAD800 pic.twitter.com/oGE819eqKM
— Saif Kaisar (@StaySaif) April 28, 2019