GASPE - Residents of Quebec's Gaspe Peninsula are hoping for dry, unseasonably warm weather in the next few days so they can mop up and repair the damage caused by days of torrential rain.
The ground is saturated and hundreds of basements are flooded, meaning any additional rainfall would have a severe effect on the area.
It doesn't appear Mother Nature is going to fully co-operate.
Gaspe is expecting a dry, clear day Friday but below-freezing temperatures are bringing concerns about the formation of ice, said resident and town spokesman Brad McDonald.
Ice would interfere with the region's recovery.
"We're not through this dilemma yet," McDonald told Canada AM on Friday.
Warmer temperatures are expected in the coming days, but so is a mix of snow and rain.
Several communities are under a state of emergency due to heavy rains that flooded homes and roads and brought on mudslides.
More than 250 mm of rain has inundated the scenic region since Monday, well above the 40 mm of rain the area usually gets in the entire month of December.
Much of the peninsula is under water.
McDonald told Canada AM on Friday that up to 500 homes or properties were affected and 125 residents evacuated by this week's torrential downpours and flooding.
McDonald said additional homes were flooded in outlying areas, including New Richmond and Riviere-au-Renard.
The Canadian Red Cross set up temporary shelters to care for evacuees, but most evacuees chose to stay with relatives or friends, McDonald said.
Most evacuees chose to stay with relatives or friends, McDonald said.
Some homes were turned into islands and are accessible only by boat.
McDonald said most roads are still accessible, although some are down to one lane because water is over the road.
McDonald said no fatalities or serious injuries have been reported.
Coastal communities are being pounded by high tides and strong winds.
Residents are being warned to stay away from swollen streams due to fast-moving, dangerous currents.
VIA Rail trains aren't running through the region because some railway tracks are submerged, according to a company statement.
Provincial and municipal officials toured the flood-affected areas and spoke to victims Thursday to get a first-hand look at the damage.
Quebec's government is offering a disaster financial aid package to inundated municipalities and homeowners, while Ottawa also announced Friday it would augment aid funding through a federal-provincial disaster relief program.
That program calls for the first $7 million in aid to come from the province, and from that point onward the federal government injects money in a rising scale proportional to provincial spending, Roberval-Lac Saint-Jean Conservative MP Denis Lebel said Friday on a tour of the affected areas.
Gaspe is one of several regions of Atlantic Canada to endure some wicked weather this week. Coastal Quebec and the Maritimes are being lashed by a persistent low-pressure system that is hovering over the area.
Powerful winds and heavy rains caused significant damage and flooding in parts of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
People in the Gaspe region are keeping an eye on the forecast. After a couple of dry days, a mix of continuous rain and snow is anticipated starting Sunday. More precipitation could be devastating.
With files from La Presse Canadienne
