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Efforts are continuing in Ottawa-Gatineau and the wider area to keep the rising waters on the Ottawa River at bay.
According to Saturday’s update from the Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board, water levels and flows are still rising along the river’s main stem due to both melting snow and runoff from rainfall.
The board says minor flood levels have already been exceeded in the most prone areas between Pembroke, Ont., and Carillon, Que.
What’s more, Fort-Coulonge to Carillon could see major flood levels in the days ahead — although that depends on the weather, according to the board.
Sunday’s forecast could be cause for concern, with either special weather statements or yellow-level rainfall warnings in place Saturday across the region.
Some communities could be hit by up to 25 millimetres of rain, Environment Canada aid.
On Sunday morning, the agency lifted all the rainfall advisories for the area.
“We’re all concerned, because once the water starts rising, who knows when it’s going to stop,” said Darrell Martin, who lives in flood-prone Constance Bay in Ottawa’s west end.
“We can put [out] sandbags now, but who knows if it’s going to be a waste of time.”
Here’s a look at some of the scenes Saturday around the region, as people filled sandbags and tried to keep their properties safe.
People fill bags with sand in a parking lot at Lac Beauchamp Park in Gatineau, Que., on Saturday afternoon. (Jacob Taillefer Racine/Radio-Canada)Someone prepares a sandbag at Lac Beauchamp Park, one of four locations in Gatineau where sandbags were available as of Saturday afternoon. (Jacob Taillefer Racine/Radio-Canada)A cyclist makes their way down a partially flooded path in Gatineau along the Ottawa River Saturday. (Marina von Stackelberg/CBC)In Clarence-Rockland, Ont., the rising waters had already submerged part of Moulin Park by Saturday. (Félix Pilon/Radio-Canada)A blue van is seen partially submerged in the water along Voisine Road near Clarence-Rockland on Saturday. (Félix Pilon/Radio-Canada)Water pools outside a home in Ottawa’s Constance Bay neighbourhood, which has been hit hard by spring flooding in recent years. (Cameron Mahler/CBC)Two men prepare sandbags in Constance Bay. As of Saturday there were 15 sites in Ottawa where people could get sandbags, with details on the city’s website. (Cameron Mahler/CBC)Justin Halpenny is with Team Rubicon, a volunteer disaster relief team, and was out helping to fill sandbags in Constance Bay on Saturday. He says they’re hoping for the best. (Cameron Mahler/CBC)
