On a beautiful sunny day we’re still talking about Tuesday’s rain, with the mayor holding a press conference to assure the public that the city responded quickly and that it has done a lot to improve the sewer system which, nonetheless, is not up to handling the quantity of water thrown at it in such a short time “but neither is any other city’s.” Metro has an item noting the major rainstorms that have hit the city since summer 2008, hinting at a growing trend the city will have to cope with.
The contemporary art museum suffered damage to artwork stored underground, and school and university buildings were also damaged.
ant6n 20:22 on 2012/05/30 Permalink
need less asphalt/concrete.
btw asphalt, a lot of it was washed in blocks down along pine/penfield/cote-des-neiges.
Charles 22:04 on 2012/05/30 Permalink
If your building has a flat roof, usually the water goes down the main drain and ends up in the sewers too…
Bill Binns 22:04 on 2012/05/30 Permalink
I think it’s funny how carrer politicians can survive multiple scandals and corruption allegations but seem genuinely terrified of being blamed for weather events.
Kate 01:02 on 2012/05/31 Permalink
It’s not just weather – it’s the preparedness of the city and its workers for extreme events.
MB 03:18 on 2012/05/31 Permalink
It’s funny…actually not so funny, especially since I live in a basement…but just watched the “Big Uneasy,” which deals with fraud and error in the Army Corps of Engineers in the States, in terms of the failures in New Orleans during Katrina. Now, I think I’ll just float, but who knows. What will I eat, on the open ocean? How will I know which language to use? Does the boat have VLTs? How come there are so many raccoons?
JaneyB 04:50 on 2012/05/31 Permalink
ROTFL MB!! You’ll definitely need to get a life jacket like the one I keep in the car. In the back of my mind I wonder if a rope ladder might be better – what if I get stuck between the broken bridge and the water? Alas, they both cost about 35% more here than elsewhere….
Spock 06:25 on 2012/05/31 Permalink
Funny how the suburbs are always more prepared when it comes to these situations than the island is.
Montreal should look at Laval when it comes to good city management and not look at Detroit; which it could become like – remember Montreal in the 80s…
Spock 06:27 on 2012/05/31 Permalink
Oops, typo! :)
Ian 07:05 on 2012/05/31 Permalink
It’s not so much that the ‘burbs are more prepared, but that they have newer infrastructure.
Kate 08:18 on 2012/05/31 Permalink
Yep, one of the reasons downtown gets hit so hard is that it’s using 100-year-old sewers in many areas.
Ian 11:14 on 2012/05/31 Permalink
Some are even older, dating from the 1880s – http://www.undermontreal.com/point-st-charles-egouts/
Robert H 11:22 on 2012/05/31 Permalink
Montreal isn’t the only place facing infrastructure problems of this sort. Almost every major city in North America and smaller ones as well are dealing with the neglect of century old sewers, viaducts, bridges, tunnels, etc. The sinkhole on Sherbrooke Street and overflowing catch basins have their equivalents in New York, Boston, Chicago and other metropolises too numerous to mention.
Robert H 11:43 on 2012/05/31 Permalink
The Museum of Contemporary Art seems to exist in the shadow of another institution further to the west. Madame Gagnon believes most of the damage to the art and the building can be repaired, but I wonder if she envies Nathalie Bondil.