Chelsea, Que., extends state of emergency for 10 days

• UPDATE | The state of emergency lifted on Aug. 22.

The emergency order for Chelsea, Que., was extended for 10 days on Monday while crews continued to work on washed-out roads and flooded basements.

Theintense rainfallexperienced by the town was left over from the tropical storm Debby.

The municipality declared a state of emergencyon Saturday. The declaration allows the municipality to move more quickly to repair damageby giving contracts to construction crewsrather than going through the usual council process.

In a interview on Sunday, Mayor PierreGunard said the decision was made to help officials deal with the damageas efficiently as possible. The emergency order was set to expireMonday morning but was extendedMonday afternoon.

Gunard saidwater was running so highFriday evening that "it was filling the ditches and flowing across the roads, and washing out parts of roads."He said crews worked throughout the weekend and the main roads are now accessible in Chelsea.

WATCH | Mayor extends state of emergency

State of emergency extended in Chelsea, Que. as flood cleanup continues

19 days ago

Duration 0:59

Chelsea Mayor Pierre Gunard says the state of emergency in the municipality has been extended after floods washed out roads and trapped residents on Friday evening.

Much of the municipality is rural, but the central part of the town experienced no major flooding and was able to handle the rainfall, said Gunard, adding that more than 200 residents were cut off from roads.

Cities across Quebec were hit hard by the heavy rainfall. Some homes are still without water.

Meanwhile, in Val-des-Monts, all roads are open to traffic.

"Our teams are working on some roads where traffic is still alternating, because the shoulders have subsided, but overall, the situation has returned to normal," saidKevin St-Jacques, the city'sdirector of communications.

GatineauPark repairs also underway

In nearby Gatineau,the National Capital Commission(NCC) said cleaning and securing the park could take several days.

Catherine Verreault, director for Quebec Urban Lands and Gatineau Park for the NCC, said that surveying the entire area is a lengthy process considering how much ground crews need to cover.

"There are over 30 kilometres of parkways in the park and over 200 kilometres of trails. So for the trails and assets, there are still inspections going on and we're surveying everything to try to see what has been affected and where are the major damages and where we are prioritizing and the interventions that we have to do," said Verreault.

The Champlain Parkway between the Fortune and Gatineau parkways is closed to all traffic.The Fortune and Gatineau Parkways are only accessible by bike or by foot.Shuttle service has been halted.A number of beaches, including Meech Lake and Blanchet, are also closed.

Verreault said officials are recommending that people steer clear of hiking trails in the park while they continue to assess damages.

"You're not able to see as far as you want when there are, you know, slopes or you know, curves on the trail and you can't see what's happening on the other side and there might be washouts," she said.

Affected locations are listed on the NCC website.