Montreal has raised its flood alert to the highest level as officials brace for rising water levels in the West Island amid days of rain in the forecast.
The city confirmed Thursday it has moved from Level 2 to Level 3 under its flood response plan.
“We have just come up to Level 3, which is the highest level of emergency the city can bring it up to,” Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada said at a press conference.
The escalation triggers the full activation of Montreal’s emergency operations centre, which will now be staffed around the clock.
“The big difference with Level 3 is now we open the emergency operations centre 24 hours a day,” said Montreal fire chief and emergency management co-ordinator Richard Liebmann, noting a virtual centre had already been in place earlier this week.
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Officials say crews have been working since March 15 to prepare for potential flooding, installing protective measures such as pumps and temporary barriers in vulnerable areas.
Neighbourhoods most at risk include Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Pierrefonds-Roxboro, Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève and Ahuntsic-Cartierville.
In Pierrefonds-Roxboro, temporary walls and barricades have been set up along parts of the Rivière des Prairies, where water levels have risen significantly in recent days.
Forecasts call for rain over the next several days, with up to 70 millimetres expected in regions upstream of Montreal.
Despite the heightened alert, officials say no major flooding has been reported so far, and the situation continues to be closely monitored.
Residents are being urged to stay informed through the city’s website and their local borough pages.
