The Canadian city of Montreal, Quebec declared a state of emergency after extreme weather event caused historic flooding across country’s east. 

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat issued the following statement in response to flooding in the National Capital Region:

Recent flooding in the region has resulted in local evacuations, as well as road closures. As a result, and to allow emergency services to help those in need, the Government of Canada is advising its employees not to travel to their offices on Monday, May 8, if:

• they normally travel to their offices via the interprovincial bridges; or,
• they work in federal buildings in Gatineau, as these buildings will be closed.

With the flood situation continuing to worsen in many regions of Ontario and Quebec, the top priority is the safety and security of employees and those in the affected communities.

Updates will be provided as they become available. The Government of Canada, through the Government Operations Centre, continues to monitor and assess the national flooding situation carefully as it continues to evolve

The province of Quebec was hardest hit, with nearly 1 900 homes flooded as of early May 8, 2017. The flooding is reported from the Ontario border to the Gaspe peninsula, across 130 municipalities.

800 Canadian Armed Forces members were added to 400 already helping residents deal with extreme flooding. “The troops, along with aircraft and 12 boats from the Naval Reserve, were being positioned to aid communities across Quebec, several of which are under a state of emergency,” Defence Ministry said in a release.