Smoke and mirrors: Quebec residents feel abandoned after August flooding – Montreal [Video]

The Quebec government has made payments in less than 10 per cent of the nearly 10,000 claims it has received since the remnants of Hurricane Debby hit the province in August, causing severe flooding and damage.

In Montreal, which received a record-breaking 150 millimetres of rain during the storm, the government has paid out just nine of the 1,900 claims it has received, despite an early suggestion from Premier François Legault that he would expand access to financial aid for flood victims.

Though some files are still open, many residents who suffered tens of thousands of dollars in damage are left feeling abandoned by municipal and provincial officials who gave them reason to hope help was coming — only to later make it clear they were on their own.

“The government’s promise to expand aid was all smoke and mirrors,” said Isabelle Leblanc, a suburban Montreal resident whose basement flooded, causing $45,000 in damage. …