Who to call, where to go: Everything you need to know about the flooding

The cities of Montreal and Laval areeach under a state of emergency and rising water levels continue to wreak havoc onparts of Quebec.

• Flooding closes Quebec schools as more rain expected

There has been a lot of information about the flooding, so here's a breakdown of the key things you need to know.

What is a state of emergency?

The Emergency Management Act givesauthorities the power to move quickly to centralize and co-ordinate responses.

It allows authorities:

• to force evacuations of buildings.
• enter buildings without a warrant.
• to preventstores and commercial businesses from hiking up prices of goods and services.

You can find an up-to-date list of municipalities that have declared a state of emergency on Urgence Qubec'swebsite.

Who to call if you need help?

• Montreal's 311 lineis now back up and running, after a brief shutdown Sunday morning.
• People whofeel they are in danger can call 911.

The Quebec Bar Association has put together a free guide on flood-related legal issues,such as dealing with leases and landlords in case of flooding, employee rights and insurance coverage.

The bar is alsooffering free legal advice starting Tuesday. People affected by the floods can call 1 844 954-3411 to be connected with a volunteer lawyer.

When to cut the power?

If your basement is in danger of flooding, do cut the power to the entire home to prevent any danger of electrocution or fire. Make sure that your feet are on dry ground and that you are not leaning against a metal object.

Ifyour basement has already flooded, do NOT try to cut off the power on your own. ContactHydro-Qubecat 1-800-790-2424. Their workers willcut the service to the meter or utility pole.

Can you drink the water?

Even if your house is flooded, you can safely drink tap water if your water is provided by the municipal water system. If your water comes from an artesian well, it is not potable.

In this case, bring it to a full, rolling boil for one minute before drinking.

• What you need to know about boil water advisories

When to leave your home?

The City of Montreal says if your home is flooded but water has not reached the fuse box, evacuation is not necessary. However, if you're worried, contact 311 and ask that a fire prevention officer cometo assess the safety of your home.

If water levels continue to rise and authoritiesaskthat youleave your home, please do so, for your own safety.

Firefighters are making the rounds ofaffected areas to ensure that residents are not in danger.

Residents who voluntarily decide to leave their home as a precautionary measure are asked to advise their municipality of the situation. Police are making regular rounds of affected neighbourhoods.

What personal belongings to bring?

The City of Montrealisasking residents not to move their cars from their properties if they are surrounded by water.

Residents who need to leave their homes are advised to bring pieces of identity andan emergency kitwith all the basic itemsneeded for 72 hours, including water, food, clothes, keys andmoney,as well asyour phone and its charger.

Where can I go?

In Montreal, the following emergency shelters and information centres have been set up:

• Ahuntsic-Cartierville: 11885 LaurentienBoulevard (YMCA).
• le-BizardSainte-Genevive: 490 Monte de l'glise (cultural centre).
• Pierrefonds Service Centre: Pierrefonds Comprehensive High School (entrance via Richmond Street.) (NOTE: this is an information centre only and not a shelter).
• Bellevue: 60 Rue Saint-Pierre (Hartell Centre).
• Senneville: 20 Avenue de Morningside (cultural centre).

TheRed Cross has alsoset up informationcentres in several communities affected by flooding. They are not emergency shelters, however, staff there can answer questions and direct people to shelter.

The Red Cross information centres are open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

• Ahuntsic-Cartierville:11885, Boulevard Laurentien (YMCA)(This is also a city shelter).
• Boisbriand :Htel de ville, 940 boulevard Grande-Alle.
• Deux-Montagnes :141, Grand-Moulin (Centre communautaire).
• Gatineau: 89, rue Jean-Ren Monette.
  • 57, chemin de Montral Est.
• Laval:6500, Arthur-Sauv, Laval-Ouest.
• Luskville:2024, route 148.
• Pierrefonds-Roxboro:13 800 boulevard de Pierrefonds(entrance via Richmond Street).
• Rigaud:102, rue Saint-Pierre.
• Saint-Andr-d'Argenteuil :Htel de ville, 10, rue de la Mairie.
• Saint-Eustache :Maison du citoyen, 184, rue Saint-Eustache.
• Vaudreuil-Dorion :3093, boulevard de la Gare.

At Concordia University, all faculty, staff, students and graduates and their immediate families who were forced to leave their homes can request temporary shelter.

"Rooms at the Grey Nuns Residence (1190 Guy St.) will be available at no charge, on a first-come, first-served basis, for faculty, staff and students, including their immediate families, for a limited time," said Roger Ct, vice-president of services, in a statement issued late Monday.

People can email Concordia, or call 514-848-2424, ext. 8000, to make the request, and must provide the following information:

• Name and address.
• Concordia ID number.
• Number of people requiring accommodation.
• Estimated number of nights required.

Which areas have been affected?

• As of Monday night, Urgence Qubec says 171 municipalities across the province have been affected by rising water levels, especially in the regions of Montreal, theMontrgie, Laval, theMauricie,Lanaudireand the Laurentians.
• 2,733 homes have been flooded across the province.
• 1,940people have been evacuated from their homes.
• 486 streets have been affected.
• By Monday evening, 1,650 Canadian Forces personnel were on the ground in Quebec.
• Here is thelist of street closures due to flooding on the island of Montreal.

• Areas in theMontrgieregion, the municipalities ofHudson,Vaudreuil,Terrasse-Vaudreuil and the island of le-Perrotare also affected by heavy flooding. Terrasse-Vaudreuil and Pincourtdeclared states of emergency on Sunday.
• Transports Qubechas closed the Galipeault Bridge between Montreal and le-Perroton Highway 20.
• Laval is asking residents living on the island ofle-Verteandle-Roussin to leave their homes.
• The village of Oka has also declared a state of emergency.

Are schools closed?

Several school boards closed schools in and around the island of Montreal, due to rising floodwaters.

• A full list of school closures can be found onCBC Montreal's Storm Centre page.

Have health-care services been affected?

If you need to go to a clinic or doctor's office in affected areas, you should call ahead.

Health authorities inthe West Island say the CLSC Pierrefonds will be open this Monday, but there will be limited road access. However, the youth and vaccination clinics, as well as mental health services, will be cancelled.

General social services will be relocated to the Lac-Saint-Louis CLSC.

The Montreal West Island CIUSSS is encouraging residents with questions about services to contact them at 514-630-6800.

What to do ifyou need sandbags?

The City of Montreal has sandbags on hand for areas affected by flooding.

Borough workers will drop them off and help residents set them up around their properties.

Volunteers in and around the West Island have been lending a hand to fill and deliver bags, as well.

• Here's how you can help the Montreal flood relief effort

How can you help?

For people looking to help, some communities are looking for volunteers to fill and deliver sandbags.

• le-Bizard-SainteGenevive is asking for volunteers at 406 Monte de l'glise Street, Monday. They are asking that peoplewear warm clothes and thatvolunteers be 14 years-old and up, since the work is physical and there are a lot of trucks and loaders driving around.
• Anyone withpickup trucks or trucks with trailers to lend their support for deliveries.
• Vaudreuilis also looking for people to help fill sandbags Monday starting at 9 a.m. at2555 Dutrisac Street, behind city hall.
• The Fairviewshopping centre inPointe-Claire has set up a food distribution centrewhere people can drop off and pick up any food supplies during the flood.
• Hudson is no longerlooking for volunteersat the Hudson Fire Station.

What emergency funds are available?

Since April, the province has promised to help owners of flood-damaged properties.Homeowners can apply for financial aid andcontact theQuebec government through itswebsite.

As of May 4, Quebec's Public Security Ministry reported it had received 490 requests for compensation related to flooding.

That's a dramatic increase compared to 2016, whenatotal of 61 claims were filed for the entire year.

What if I need to run a generator?

Fire officials are reminding anyone running a propane or gas generator not to operate it indoors, to avoid the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Keep it outside to ensure proper ventilation.