Ice jam complicating work in flooded Quebec City neighbourhood

A small part of the Duberger-Les-Saulesneighbourhoodof Quebec City is submerged in at least a metreof water and slush after the nearby St. Charles River overflowed this weekend.

About 60 residents have been evacuated from 38 homes, and authorities say it may take time before they can return.

They say the river is still too high and fast-flowing for them to break an ice jam on it.

• Heavy rainfall leads to flooding in parts of southern Quebec

"We can't work," said Michel Therrien, the civil security coordinator for the desRiviresborough in Quebec City. "If we do, we will createanother movement [in the river] that will affect 50 to 100 more homes and businesses."

He said the city hopedthe river's flow wouldcalm today, so workers couldbegin breaking up the ice.

A meeting for evacuees is planned for Monday evening. Psychological support is also being offered to those who have had to leave their homes.

One of them, Alain Dusty, said he felt left in the dark about how and when the city would proceed. He says he was told the situation was stabilizing Sunday, but then the water level rose.

"We don't have a lot of information about what's holding them back," Dusty told Radio-Canada. He said they didn't understand why the city hasn't started work to make the water go down.

Quebec promises compensation

Early Monday evening, Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux visited the area.

He promised that the homeowners who got flooded this month will have access to the same extra compensation package as last spring's flood victims.

"With such extreme temperatures, to see your house flooded, I can understand how people feel," Coiteux said.

"Right in the middle of the winter, this is very exceptional. In this sector, the last time this happened was in '81. But one thing we know is that the weather all over the planet is more extreme."

A perimeter around the affected area has been up since Saturday.

Heavy rainfall in parts of southern Quebec has caused several waterways to flood adjacent communities.

The rain was followed by snow and extreme cold, which has made the cleanup complicated and difficult.