I don't know if you have been hearing about the terrible flooding in and around St Jean-sur-Richelieu in Quebec. The Richelieu river is at historically high levels. Our friend Marie-Emmanuelle (who fostered our dogs before we got them, and found them their forever home with us) lives there, and her home is in danger, despite sandbags and and an industrial pump. When things are dry, the house is 600 ft. from the river. Now the river surrounds the house! Her fiancé Parick has been working valiantly with the neighbours to sandbag and save homes. The army has been called in but they are concentrating more on infrastructure than houses. Today's Toronto Star had some sobering aerial photos.
One of the Star photos is of Fort Lennox, which we visited with Marie-Emmanuelle and Patrick last fall when it was dry!
And here's another news story from today.
Please think good thoughts for my friends and all those affected by this terrible flooding. It has been going on for over two weeks now, constantly worsening, and everyone is exhausted.
On a brighter note, Marie-Emmanuelle is fostering a LOVELY senior dog named Kara, who is enjoying the flood waters:
Here's what she says about Kara:
"Kara is 10 y.o. and looking for a new family. She's adorable, both quiet and playful. She makes an outstanding companion for humans, big and small, cats and dogs. And she loves to sunbathe on the deck, just enjoying the day."
I have met Kara and can confirm what a great dog she is. I would adopt her in a minute if I didn't already have two dogs. She is a chow/husky cross and looks like a fluffy fox. A really beautiful girl, very mellow and living peacefully with three other dogs and a cat right now. If you are anywhere near Montreal or Ottawa and want a lovely dog, let me know. Marie-Emmanuelle is willing to go even further than that for the right home!
Let's hope the river quits rising, the rain stops, and the people of St. Jean-sur-Richelieu and area can get back to their normal lives soon without having to deal with too much devastation.
Sending warm -- and dry -- thoughts to Quebec. Seems to be a bad year for flooding everywhere. As temperatures rise and yet another storm approaches flooding is in the forecast even around here.
ReplyDeleteKara is a beautiful dog!
Whenever I see or hear about things like these floods, I am reminded about how lucky I am. My heart goes out to those who are in the middle of it all. Last fall we had some exceptionally high water at the cottage, but nothing close to what they are experiencing in Quebec. But I know the desperate feeling of that rising water.
ReplyDeleteLike your blog - hope you manage to keep dry !
ReplyDeleteAn odd (and maybe inappropriate) thought occurred to me when I saw footage of the floods in the US south -- if I were a homeowner anywhere near a river of any size, I'd build my house on stilts, like they do in some areas in Asia.
ReplyDeleteI don't know -- no one expects epic flooding, but then again, no one expects earthquakes. I just wouldn't want to take any chances . . . that being said, here in Montreal, it's impossible to believe that they're having such wild weather over there. We seem to be getting by completely unscathed.
CogDis, it sounds like the water has FINALLY stopped rising, and it's a sunny day today. My friends didn't have to evacuate, thank goodness, and will get some compensation from the government. They are exhausted.
ReplyDeleteKara is really lovely. I would take her in a minute but two dogs is my limit!
Rob, we lived on a flood plain in BC and I am so glad we moved. We did have a flood when we were there but it didn't get into the main floor of the house, and we only had a crawl space under the house (no basement.) It was scary and nowhere near as bad as what's going on in Quebec!
ReplyDeleteMister D, thanks for visiting!
Nick, I could never again live close to a river or any other source of potential flooding. TOo scary. Our farm does back onto a small river but it would have to flood its banks over a kilometer to even get near our house, which is on top of a hill!