Louise Rivet is one of 143 people living in a hotel for more than two months after a major water main break flooded parts of south-central Montreal near the Jacques-Cartier Bridge.
On Aug. 16, the break in the water main created a massive geyser on René-Lévesque Boulevard, east of de Lorimier Avenue, just before 6 a.m.
At the time of the incident, the director of the City of Montreal’s water department estimated that 40 million litres of drinking water had been lost.
Around 50 residences and 20 businesses were flooded in the Ville-Marie borough, according to the city.
Video shows water bursting out of a ruptured main in downtown Montreal, near the Jacques-Cartier Bridge.
A fire alarm sounded in Rivet’s apartment building that morning.
“At first, we thought it was an error alarm, as our building is still under construction. But it wasn’t long before our feet were in the water and we discovered this geyser,” she told Radio-Canada.
She had moved in just three weeks before the incident.
Rivet and her partner have been moving from hotel to hotel since that day.
“Mentally, I’m not sure, we’re just trying to hang in there,” she told CBC Montreal’s Daybreak host Sean Henry. “It’s definitely been a struggle.”
Louise Rivet is one of dozens of Montrealers waiting to go home after a major water main break two months ago – and she may not be able to return for another two months. She and her partner have been living in hotels since the break lead to flooding in the Ville-Marie borough – even though her home was not flooded. She joined Daybreak’s Sean Henry in studio to share her experience.
The building’s owner recently sent her and other residents an email to inform them that they might be moving back home on Dec. 2. But the date has yet to be confirmed and Rivet says their return has been constantly postponed.
She pointed out that, while living in a hotel may seem like a dream, there are challenges that come with it.
“No way of cooking, we used to have a laundry machine, obviously, none of that,” she said, adding that she’s nevertheless thankful to be staying in a quality hotel.
She and her partner work from home and are used to having their own space where they can take calls.
But now, with the hotel Wi-Fi, small desks, no double screens and sharing a room, it’s harder to work.
Rivet highlighted how “lucky” she’s been to go through those challenges with her partner.
“It’s a little tougher to be dealing with it on your own,” she said.
Rivet says she and other residents have created a group chat where they organize meet-ups and share their frustrations.
“I know a lot of the residents are starting to question more and more if they should move out,” she said.
While hundreds of homeowners in Quebec continue the cleanup after record rainfall, they’ll soon have to start looking at how to rebuild. For many, that will mean taking a close look at their basements.
In the meantime, tenants whose rent payments have been suspended can return to their homes by appointment to collect personal belongings.
Rivet explains that her apartment looks intact, but that she lost the items she had stored in lockers in the basement, which was flooded.
The city confirms that “all the emergency work has been completed” and that the repair work on the 84-inch pipe that broke in August will be carried out this fall.
