Saguenay Flood of 1996

It was a way of life for the people of the Saguenay region. The sun would rise over the pristine Chicoutimi River. That was - until August 5, 1996.

The Saguenay is location in the central northern region of the province and includes town such as La Baie, Chicoutimi and Jonquiere.

Torrential rains had been falling since mid-July in the region. Rivers were swollen and reservoirs were filling to the overflow. To understand what came next, you must understand that the Saguenay region is dotted with an overabundance of dams. Many of these dams are privately owned and are used to maintain the reservoirs for the generation of hydroelectric power.

In the follow-up analysis of what caused the disaster, the people blamed the government for not releasing water from the reservoirs at Lac Kenogami until too late. The government blamed the weather.

If they ever determine the cause of the flood, it will not bring back the 10 persons that died. It will be small comfort to the 12,000 residents who fled their homes and will not cover the $700 million in damages.

One silver lining to this story was the way Canadians from all parts of Canada responded to the disaster. The Saguenay is a hot bed for Quebec separatism. IN fact it is the riding of Lucien Bouchard, chief separatist and Premier of Quebec. But that did not stop Canadian from helping Canadians. Food, clothing and money flowing into the region form ordinary Canadians. The Canadian Military was sent in to assist in the clean-up and made all Canadians proud of its Armed Forces.

Quebec's Environment Minister, David Cliche stated that the flood were caused by the torrential rains which happen "once every 10,000 years". Let us hope he is right.