A Canadian navy frigate arrived in the Trois-Rivières, Que., port today to build up defences in advance of possibly more heavy rainfall, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau toured flood-ravaged areas of the province by helicopter.
HMCS Montreal will be involved in military and provincial agencies' work to build up flood defences in advance of heavy rainfall expected for this weekend.
Parts of the Mauricie region in central Quebec could get up to 59 millimetres of rain, which is expected to increase water levels in and around Lac Saint-Pierre.
On Wednesday, Yamachiche on the lake's north shore became the latest Quebec municipality to declare a state of emergency.
Montreal, Laval, Rigaud and Deux-Montagnes have also declared states of emergency as a result of the recent flooding.
Trudeau tours flood areas
Trudeau held a news conference after his aerial tour of the Gatineau flood zones along with Premier Philippe Couillard.
Trudeau saluted the community spirit and the relief efforts around Quebec and flood-affected parts of Canada.
"The number of volunteers, neighbours who are involved alongside first responders are doing extraordinary work," he said.
"We can see the extent to which Canadians come together and unite in difficult moments."
Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard and Gatineau MP Steve McKinnon look on as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to media following a tour of a flooded area of Gatineau, Que., Thursday. (The Canadian Press)
Noting the "tremendous" cleanup ahead as the water levels recede, Trudeau repeated an assertion by National Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan onWednesday that the army is always quick to arrive, and slow to leave.
"We have a lot of work to do in the coming weeks, and we'll be there for people and families as they return to their homes."
Asked if municipalities should be allowed to build in regions known to be at high risk of flooding, Trudeau said officials must consider a plan in a "thoughtful and measured" way.
Flooding is affecting 173 municipalities around Quebec, including 21 in the Mauricie region, where more than 300 homes are flooded and 15 have been evacuated.
Across the province, 4,141 homes are flooded and 3,033 people have been forced out of their homes.
Frigate joins growing military operation
Lac Saint-Pierre, a widening of the St. Lawrence River west of Trois-Rivières, is already dealing with high tides that have flooded parts of the shoreline.
The HMCS Montreal arrived in the Port of Trois-Rivières not long after 7 a.m. ET to join a growing Canadian military operation to shore up flood defences around the lake.
This frigate was originally destined for Montreal, where it was to take part in the city's 375th-anniversary celebrations, but it was diverted to Trois-Rivières instead.
Troops disembark from the HMCS Montreal in the Port of Trois-Rivières Thursday. The ship's crew of 160 sailors will join 500 Canadian army troops in flood defence efforts around the Mauricie region. (CBC)
Cmdr. Chris Sherban said the crew of 160 sailors will help out with whatever local authorities need, such as providing manpower and sandbagging, much like the army have been doing.
The sailors will join 500 Canadian Forces troops also on the ground in the Mauricie region.
Sherban said the hope is people find it meaningful that members of the military are on the ground with them.
"They have a force that's ready to come in to help and to respond when Canadians need it most."
A total of 2,200 Canadian Forces personnel are assisting communities around southern Quebec.
'We're at the mercy of the wind'
In an update Thursday, Environment Minister David Heurtel said high winds are also affecting water levels in on Lac Saint-Pierre and will remain a concern over the weekend.
"We're at the mercy of the wind," he told reporters.
A state of emergency was declared in Yamachiche on the north shore of Lac Saint-Pierre, 24 kilometres west of Trois-Rivières. (Anne-Andrée Daneau/Radio-Canada)
Heurtel said run-off from a winter that saw Quebec get "a winter and a half" worth of snow is continuing to fill rivers in the region, and that is combining with the wind, heavy rainfall and high tides on the St. Lawrence River to produce the flooding.
The coming rain this weekend has authorities keeping a close on water levels around Highway 155 and the city of La Tuque, where defensive efforts are underway.
"We're looking at a difficult situation until the middle of next week," Heurtel said.
Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard is expected in Trois-Rivières today to meet with residents and take stock of the damage.
Montreal keeping 'vigilant'
The outlook is better in western Quebec, where water levels in the Ottawa River continue to drop.
Heurtel said the river's water flow was down to 8,000 cubic metres per second, after reaching a historic high 9,000 cubic metres per second on Sunday.
Water levels in the Lake of Two Mountains west of Montreal was down 20 centimetres since Sunday, Heurtel reported.
The rain expected this weekend will slow that progress, but isn't expected to make matters worse for communities along the Ottawa River.
During his daily update Wednesday morning, Montreal Fire Department Chief Bruno Lachance said the expected rain isn't alarming, but they are not taking any chances.
"We're being vigilant and keeping our teams in place."
A woman sweeps debris from her home after a pumping system was installed to drain flood waters on Île Mercier on Rivière des Prairies along the north shore of Montreal on Wednesday. (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)
Firefighters, army and police worked Wednesday to strengthen a 1.2-kilometre dike along Lalande Boulevard in Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough, among the hardest hit by this spring's flooding.
Lachance said water levels have dropped by five to seven centimetres from their peak around the city, and that trend is expected to continue.
