Several Quebec rivers are being watched closely after Thursday’s floods caused firefighters in the Lower Laurentians to order the evacuation of dozens of homes.

In Ste.Therese nearly 200 people are currently homeless and it’s unclear when they’ll be able to return to their houses.

The Riviere aux Chiens, which runs through Rosemere into the Mille Iles River, overflowed its banks Friday morning. The flood filled the streets with rushing water that crept into at least 74 homes.

The amount of rain that fell on Thursday, 35.8 mm, set a record for April 6 -- that's 10 mm more than fell on that same day in 1949.

This comes after 36.2 mm of rain fell on Tuesday, which was also a record-setting amount of rain for that day in history.

When Pierre Belair saw the state of his basement he was in tears.

“I had a least 5 or 6 feet of water,” he said. “We risk losing most of the house.”

Now that the rain has stopped, the water is being pumped back into the river. It’s a relief for many people, including the deputy mayor Armando Melo. 

“The water in the river really went down, about 20 cm, which is great for us. But we still have to be careful,” he said. 

The fact that the rain has stopped doesn’t bring much comfort to Patrice Linares. He bought his house only two weeks ago and says he says he did his homework.

“The river hasn’t flooded here in more than 50 years, it’s exceptional,” he said. 

Ste. Therese residents gathered for an information session on Saturday to find out what sort of assistance Quebec will provide. 

Most homeowners’ insurance doesn’t cover flooding so Quebec is stepping in with an emergency fund meant to cover hotel and food bills, as well as some types of damaged furniture. However the fund won’t cover home repairs. 

At the information session residents received details about how to make their claim. 

Before people return to their homes, the city wants them to check-in first to make sure it’s safe. 

“There's electricity, water, moisture inside the house,” Melo said. “We just want to make sure that when they go in, they go in for good.” 

In the meantime, the waters are receding but the city is still on high alert. It’s keeping sewage water levels down, in case of another downpour. 

Officials are keeping a close eye on half a dozen other rivers where the water is rising to dangerous levels.