With ten streets flooded in the northern Montreal neighbourhood of Ahuntsic-Cartierville, residents have joined forces to build dams and keep the water at bay.
On Du Ruisseau Avenue, Denis Lemieux led the construction of a dam that spans the street.
all photos: Sarah Crivello
"The city offered us some sand. Right now we're still holding. We're proud," said Lemieux.
One end of the two-metre wide dam is anchored by the last house on the block, while the other end is secured to a fence now wrapped in plastic sheeting and backed up by rocks.
Neighbours up and down the street chipped in.
"We dug through our garage and out back, got all the pallets, picked up the pallets," said Grace Warren. "I was here for about five hours."
The dam held up throughout the weekend, reinforced with cement bells donated by a contractor.
"We're talking about 3, 4, 5 feet of water here. Wow, the pressure is incredible. We don't want it to break," said Lemieux.
Elsewhere in the neighbourhood residents have not been so fortunate.
Dikes along the river broke in multiple spots over the weekend, overwhelmed by the increase in water levels.
Water gushed down Cousineau St. in Cartierville on Sunday, taking many by surprise.
"Barricades and sandbags [were] in place but the current was too strong and they gave in and the water came in ferociously," said city councillor Harout Chitilian.
Sandbags line the street in front of properties, but very few have managed to stay dry.
Michel Labrosse was helping family friends as the water rose two to three centimetres in an hour Monday morning.
"We're just toughing it out and see if we can make it until the water goes back," he said.
Others were not so fortunate.
Paul Petrov said his parents had to flee Sunday, and left home on a boat.
"Right now I'm trying to see if I can recuperate, if I can recuperate anything," said Petrov, but he wasn't even able to reach his parents' house on foot.
