Crazy rain storm creates flash flood in St. Pierre-Jolys

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This article was published 16/7/2015 (2054 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Vehicles were stalled on Highway 59 in St. Pierre-Jolys on Wednesday night, and even floating, after about 75 millimetres of rain fell in less than an hour.

"We had a car floating in front of the restaurant," Melanie Ritchot, an employee at Le Routier Restaurant, said early Thursday morning.

It floated a short ways before getting hung up on something, she said.

Others vehicles stalled as drivers tried to manoeuvre through the water, added restaurant manager Arlene Enns.

People with ATVs were kept busy trying to pull stalled vehicles out.

"The manholes couldn't take the water that quick," said Enns.

The heavy rains started about 8 p.m. Water was almost a metre deep in places, said Mayor Mona Fallis.

Water came up to the doors of some businesses and a school, College St. Pierre. Every time a vehicle tried to drive through the water, it sent waves that seeped under the doors, Fallis said.

So the town took the unusual step to close Highway 59 through town, said Fallis. Vehicles, including a lot of semi-truck traffic, was rerouted on side streets through town for the night. Highway 59 wasn't reopened until about 6 this morning, Fallis said.

Some houses and some business took on water from overland flooding. Most of the water is clear this morning, except the ditches are full.