The sun made a long-awaited appearance in the Richelieu Valley on Friday, but it was far too brief, and didn't bring the relief the wearied residents of the flood-ravaged area were hoping for.
Flood waters rose anywhere between three and seven centimeters Friday, pushing the Richelieu River to 3.2 metres higher than normal.
With more rain and high winds expected overnight into the weekend it appears as though the situation will get worse before it improves.
Up to 3,000 houses along the river have been affected. About one-third of them have been evacuated, leaving an estimated 2,800 people homeless.
People are getting around in canoes, rowboats and watercraft, with the water so high it has left some houses half-submerged.
Environment Canada said the flooding is the result of an unusually heavy snowpack combined with a week-long downpour. The forecast for the region is calling for a 40 per cent chance of showers overnight and a 40 per cent chance Saturday afternoon, with 20 km/h winds throughout.
Officials estimate the river will rise another three to six centimeters by Sunday as surface water from the week of rain slowly seeps into the ground, rising the level of Lake Champlain, which then empties into the Richelieu River.
There are 700 soldiers in the region to lay down sandbags and help evacuate people.
Federal cabinet minister Christian Paradis toured the area Friday and said he's impressed by how calm and hard-working people have been. Paradis promised that the military would remain for as long as necessary.
"I wanted to be here on behalf of the Government of Canada to appreciate on site what's going on here," Paradis told reporters.
Help in another form began arriving Friday provincial government began issuing cheques to help cover the damages caused by the flooding, with about $700,000 given out to 200 households. The government has pledged up to $100,000 in total compensation per household, and the federal government is looking into how much they can offer to help cover the balance.
But there are some things a cheque simply will not be able to replace.
Henryville residents waited patiently
In Henryville, about 150 homes had been evacuated by Friday in the small community of 1,500 people, but the residents there had to wait until Friday afternoon before military assistance arrived.
Residents like Diane Lemieux had a feeling of helplessness as the flood waters slowly swallowed the dreamhouse she and her husband had built here 22 years ago.
While her husband kept an eye on four pumps working around the clock to try and protect the house, Lemieux was still going to her job at Henryville city hall to lend a hand for some of her neighbours.
"Oh god, you have some people who are very, very happy to go to the office, but you have the other side, you know, very, very angry. But we do our best," Lemieux told CTv Montreal's Cindy Sherwin, before breaking down in tears. "I'm exhausted. I'm sorry, but I have to do that. I have no choice. It's okay, I'm a professional, I have to do that."
Residents in Henryville have been asked to leave their homes overnight, and Lemieux has to put on hip waders to walk to her island home every day to pick up provisions.
"We have a duty and responsibility to assure them that if something happens we have the ability to reach them," said Marie-Claude Choquette of emergency services.
After frustratingly watching as military personnel helped other towns Thursday, help finally arrived in Henryville on Friday afternoon as the first troops pulled up.
"I really hope it's going to help us," Choquette said. "We're tired, we're exhausted."
But the military won't be able to fix everything.
Farmers feel the brunt
The region's farmers are being hit hard by the floods at a critical time of year.
There are approximately 500 farms that line the Richelieu River, and 10 per cent of them have been directly affected by the flooding.
One of those farms belongs to Michel Bergeron, a cattle farmer who has stayed as long as he could to make sure his livestock is alright, but decided Friday the time had come to leave.
"This obviously becomes 24 hours a day, every couple of hours making sure, checking water levels," Bergeron told CTV Montreal's Paul Karwatsky. "With the animals we have to check closely because if it rises much more, they'll have to be evacuated."
With every passing day, Bergeron not only grows more tired, but he sees money flying out of his pocket.
"This is our salary, right at planting season," he said. "I'm facing a loss of at least $20,000."
Back in Saint-Paul-de-l'Ile-aux-Noix – the town pictured in the satellite images to the right – CTV Montreal's Rob Lurie took a boat ride with firefighters Friday evening who have been working non-stop for over a week to help residents in the hardest-hit community in the region.
"It seems like a never ending task says," Pierre Lafleur told Lurie. "We're going 17 hours a day."
Another firefighter, Mark Gagné, told Lurie he took a week off and is helping out on unpaid time.
"We need to give the time," he said, "and it's the perfect time to give."
