State of Emergency Declared as Gaspé Submerged by Floods

Virtually every river on the Québec peninsula has overflowed or is threatening to burst its banks.

Over 230 millimetres of rain has fallen in the eastern Québec region of Gaspé over the past three days, submerging entire towns, washing out roads, and forcing hundreds of people from their homes. The provincial government declared a state of emergency Thursday, and rescue workers were using inflatable dinghies to reach stranded residents and bring them to safety. The hardest hit areas are on the easternmost part of the peninsula and include the town of Gaspé, which has a population of about 14,000. The region is no stranger to flooding. In 2007 flash floods in Rivière-au-Renard killed two people and led to millions of dollars of damage, forcing many residents to relocate their homes to higher ground.