How Montrealers are dealing with the aftermath of last week's massive rainfall

Summer might be synonymous with warm weather and sunny skies, but for Christina Keating, it's quite the opposite.

Her home, in Montreal's Saint-Laurent borough, was flooded in during record-breaking rainstorms in July and last Friday.

"You're just watching everything get destroyed and you can't do anything but just watch it happen. It was horrible," she told CTV News on Monday.

She is one of several Montrealers dealing with the aftermath of Friday's rainstorm, which dumped more than a month's worth of rain on the city in a matter of hours.

And she's not alone.

Catherine Bouskela came home Friday evening to a flooded basement that included backed-up sewage water.

"Both one of my daughters and I, our bedrooms are in the basement so you can imagine for myself, my bed, my mattress and all the closets," the Beaconsfield resident said.

She immediately contacted her insurance company but said it took time to finally get through.

Patience is key right now, according to Pierre Babinsky, the director of communication and public affairs at the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

"It's all hands on deck for insurers," he said.

He recommends homeowners take photos of the damage and to remove the water as quickly as possible, if it's safe to do so.

"Then document the situation. Take a couple of pictures to show what level the water reached and what was in the specific rooms that were flooded. and that will give you visual documentation," he said.

And if you need help to deal with water damage, you'll also likely need to be patient once again.

"On Friday, we had around 250 to 300 missed calls," said Mike Sleem, contractor and owner of Novostar Construction.

Sleem says it could take his team at least two months to get to everyone after the massive storm.

Until help comes, Sleem says "If they have a door access to the basement, they have to seal it on their own, if not, they have to cover it with plastic."

He recommends homeowners consider installing a backwater valve, which helps stop water or sewage water from getting into your home.

Keating is looking into that.

"The plumber is going to have to come and hopefully we can get some more protection," she said.

For those who hire a private contractor for repairs, experts say to keep all invoices for your insurance company.