The flood is beginning to act up in Saguenay, mainly in Lac-Saint-Jean. Some roads are closed due to overflows, while water has started to seep into residences, requiring some evacuations.

The municipalities of Girardville and Albanel are the most affected by this problem. In Girardville, the village stream still overflowed onto Principale Street on Tuesday. However, the water level has started to decrease, but very slowly. Two houses in the area were flooded in the basement.

Municipal authorities are advising citizens who live on the other side, in the northern sector, to evacuate if they have health problems. In the event of an emergency, paramedics would be forced to take too far a detour to provide emergency care.

Citizens who live along the Mistassini River also began to be flooded on their land in rang Saint-Joseph Nord. The flow of this river is increasing.

Traffic remains impassable on the main street near the north exit, as well as on rang Saint-Joseph Nord. They therefore remain closed for the time being.

The current situation had forced the closure of road 167, because of a flood at the height of kilometer 134. The road was however able to reopen early this morning, work will be underway to repair the damage.

Forest roads are damaged north of Lac-Saint-Jean, which poses a problem for logging.

The neighboring municipality also affected

In Albanel, the municipal authorities are also on high alert.

The precipitation of the last few days has caused the Mistassini River to swell.

About ten residences located along the river in the Eaux vives and Écluse road sectors were evacuated Tuesday evening as a preventive measure.

The water level continued to rise overnight.

Municipal authorities and civil security are monitoring the situation closely.

They could again recommend that residents of the area leave the premises for the night, to avoid being stuck if the access roads are flooded.

Due to the rising waters, the prefect of the MRC de Maria Chapdelaine asked the population not to venture into the forest during the upcoming long weekend. The damage is significant in some places. If people use the trails, they may not be able to get back to their destination, he argued.

Rivers under surveillance

The Ashuapmushuan River is closely monitored. The Péribonka, Mistassibi, Mistassini and Ouiatchouan rivers as well as the sand and salmon rivers are monitored.

Note that all of its rivers flow into Lac-Saint-Jean, which causes its level to increase at a faster rate than normal. Rio Tinto even estimates that the lake could reach 17 feet in the next few days.

This water level would be higher than what is permitted by the decree. However, it is tolerated during spring flooding in extreme situations.

The region is preparing to receive nearly 40 mm of rain over the next weekend. Scenarios remain variable and sensitive to current weather conditions. Civil security is also monitoring the winds, because the high level of the lake could cause damage to residents.