Pierrefonds-Roxboro is closely monitoring the flows and levels of the Rivière-des-Prairies and has been mobilizing for several weeks now in order to be ready to intervene in case of flooding. Although water levels are currently within the season's normal averages, helped by the gradual melting of the snow covers in the northern basins; it is still too early to rule out the possibility of a major spring freshet that large amounts of rainfall could cause in April and May.
The Borough has stated that to ensure its preparation for such possible flooding, it has updated its Special Response Plan (SRP), taken local hydrological measures, is improving its protective equipment inventory, offering training to its personnel in emergency management, pledging to help disaster victims and instructing citizens on how to install protective systems.
The Borough's communication plan is also being updated to ensure proactive communication with the public, and to remind homeowners of the importance of keeping current on the situation and preparing themselves accordingly.
"Spring is beginning to show its colors and light, and I want to assure you that all of our services have already been working behind the scenes for several weeks. As of today, current water level forecasts for spring flooding do not give cause for concern at this time, but it is necessary not to let our guard down!" said Dimitrios (Jim) Beis, Mayor of Pierrefonds-Roxboro.
He continued to describe the measures being taken to inform the public this spring: "As we have been doing proactively since 2018, council members and I, in collaboration with SIM and SPVM prevention officers, will be doing a door-to-door communication outreach of waterfront areas throughout the territory in early April. The preparation of the residents living in sectors at risk is essential. We want to inform the population of the possible impacts of spring flooding, of the preventive measures to take respectively, and of the measures put in place in the event of foreseen flooding."
Suppose preventive measures need to be deployed on the field to protect public infrastructures such as parks, public roads, and buildings. In that case, the Borough already has several sandbags, a bagging machine for increased filling capacity, a dozen industrial pumps, generators, cofferdams, and sealing balloons that can be installed in water outfalls to limit the overloading of the storm network, in addition to various high-quality protective dykes such as muscle walls, watergates, quickdams, concrete walls, and inflatable tubes.
Stay informed and be prepared!
In this period of watch, citizens living in areas at risk for spring flooding should follow the state of the situation in Pierrefonds-Roxboro and be well prepared. You can visit their website, and to be informed in real-time via text messages and notifications, subscribe to the "Notices and Alerts" application.
Updates can also be found on their Facebook, Instagram, monthly e-newsletter, and the Borough's digital billboards.
SOURCE: Borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro
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