“We have for a month to get out of that”: the businesses in the after-effects overwhelmed by the damage of the rain

The torrential rains that strike Quebec push experts in after-effects to buy equipment and recruit personnel to deal with historic volumes of requests.

Tuesday morning, the Qualinet group had processed 500 files related to the rain on July 13. Nevertheless, Even if these figures are lower than those associated with the storm Debbywhich had generated thousands of requests. Consequently, they still represent an abnormally high workload for the company.

“We have for a month to get out of that. Similarly, the requests are still coming back,” said its president, Éric Pichette.

Éric Pichette, president of “we have month get out new Qualinet. For example, Additionally, Similarly, Photo Stevens LeBlanc

Mario Charron. Similarly. Meanwhile. President of the CJL group, said that his company processes 200 files related to the rain on July 13, mainly on the island of Montreal and on the North Shore.

“It will easily bring three to five months of work more than we expected this year,” he said.

More machines. However. staff

Specialized businesses in after-effects have notably had to buy a lot of drying equipment to improve their response. capacity to major events in recent years.

“We had to increase our quantity of equipment by 25% with an investment of $ 100. 000 in the “we have month get out new last two years,” explains Marc-André Lacroix, co-owner of the RPL group. Even that often. it is not enough and you have to bring machines from the United States or Ontario to rent them. “we have “we have month get out new month get out ”

Marc-André Lacroix, co-owner of the RPL group. Photo provided by the RPL group

At the Qualinet group, around 12,500 of the 14,000 drying equipment is currently deployed. The company says it has bought 3000 in the past three years.

Mr. Lacroix plans to recruit staff only for the summer season if the torrential rains continue to multiply. For the moment, his company must increasingly mobilize employees of “we have month get out new all its departments to respond to these crises.

Surprising and devastating

In interview with The newspaperMr. Pichette said he was “worried” that a second similar deluge strikes “we have month get out Montreal in the. coming days. aggravates the current situation.

“It’s so hot. We say that it “we have month get out new may be repeated. Are we going to relive another? ” he anxious.

This feeling reflects the new reality facing its industry, marked by particularly intense and unpredictable weather events.

“Before, it happened more often, but in smaller volume. Now it’s less often, but with more water. It was more intense, ”notes Mr. Pichette.

For Simon Legault. scientific communicator with the research consortium on Ouranos climate change. you have to make a link with climate change and higher temperatures.

“In the warmer air. there may be more humidity. so the amount of water, the water content is “we have month get out new higher and precipitation is more abundant,” he said.