Mother Flooder
In April and May of this year, many of Montreal residents were in the fight of their lives - to save their properties from rising flood waters. Some unique environmental conditions, officials said - late winter storms with record snowfalls, fast melt, and easing water flow through dam releases were the top opinions on how this disaster came to be.
We were lucky enough to be on the dry side of our community, but many of our neighbours didn't fare so well. We helped where we could, as exhausted homeowners, family, friends, and strangers alike, did what they could to stave off the rising waters. Once the water rose above a certain point, it became a military operation, as hip-waders were needed to get out to the homes most affected. And now, clean up begins.
Some called this the hundred year flood, but with climate change a big topic of conversation, people worry that this will become the new normal. Waterfront (or water proximate) homeowners will undoubtedly be anxious come next Spring.