LAC-DES-SEIZE-ILES -- Several families in the Laurentians were forced to leave their homes when a section of ground gave way in Lac-des-Seize-Iles, Que. on April 15.
One day later, incident is being described as a total disaster.
“Honestly, it's a very big landslide that occurred,” said mayor Yves Baillargeon. “We're talking about 300 by 500 metres -- so you could imagine the impact.”.
At least three cottages and more than two dozen boathouses were completely destroyed.
The wave triggered by the landfall brought not only water, but also chunks of ice from the semi-frozen lake as it crashed into the shore and nearby properties.
“I can't believe the slabs of ice, “said Mike Bourne, a seasonal resident of the area. “Some of them are two feet thick -- must take a heck of a lot of power to do that.”
Witnesses described a 12 to 15 foot wave crashing across the lake.
“The water was moving and the lake was moving like the ocean, I thought it was -- like, you know, a tsunami,” said resident Rosa Yates. “The houses in front of our house, across the lake, they're all down -- one-by-one, like Lego houses they were coming down.”
Mayor Baillargeon went up in a helicopter to properly assess the extent of the damage.
While the impact to the area and its infrastructure was substantial, the mayor says it’s amazing that no one was hurt. He praised local firefighters and police for their efforts in ensuring that residents were unharmed.
“They went through the mountains, with snow at mid-thigh -- 8 km they walked to make sure that every single citizen was safe,” he said.
Police secured the area’s perimeter and blocked vehicles from driving around until they could be sure that the ground was stable.
But, some residents fear that the worst has yet to come.
“We'll see what happens,” said local resident John Gilday. “I wouldn't be surprised if it happens again.
Geologists are working to assess the risk of more landslides.
