Dundee residents isolated by flooding on the Salmon River

The Salmon River overflowed its banks last Friday night into Saturday. Some Dundee residents were entirely cut off by the flooding. Between 3 and 4 a.m., the situation became critical. Some ten homes on chemin de la Vieille Douane were hit by what Mayor Linda Gagnon referred to as a "tidal wave". "Four houses were completely islanded," she said. "A kind of 'war tank' that the firefighters have was needed to reach those living at the end of the road." Other houses and cars were damaged by an impressive amount of water. "One resident who has been living there for 30 years said he had never seen anything like it," reported Gagnon. "The river rises in the spring but it's extremely unusual in January." No one was injured, but some residents experienced anxiety. Fortunately, people were in coping mode. "I noticed lots of mutual support," explained the Mayor. "Two families, unaffected by the flooding, invited people in for meals. Another person took care of animals." Monday, all the residents were back in their homes. It was time to take stock of the extent of the damage and consider options. The Salmon River was not completely frozen today. The river continued flowing. In spring, the authorities will keep an eye on both the river and the road in the area. Linda Gagnon praised the municipal employee who supervised road maintenance and thanked the Fort Covington firefighters for their work under these conditions. Translated by Cathleen Johnston