“Debby” flooded more than a hundred schools and it will cost us nearly $10 million

More than 100 schools in Quebec suffered damage from last August’s torrential rains, forcing employees to enter urgently and others to throw out furniture or redo an entire floor, which will cost nearly $10 million. dollars to taxpayers.

“We could measure [le niveau de l’eau] at the height of the hips of the employee who arrived on site,” we can read in the financial aid application form from L’Escale secondary school, in Louiseville.

On August 9 and 10, Quebec was hit hard by the tropical storm Debbyleading to impressive flooding and sewer backups.

In addition to houses and roads, bad weather has damaged a large number of schools, a fact that has gone unnoticed until now due to the summer holidays.

According to the Ministry of Education, 10 service centers and school boards (CSS) have made claims for a total of 94 buildings. Damages are estimated at $9.9 million.

Laval at the top

However, the overall list and bill could grow longer.

For example, at the time of obtaining this figure, the Montreal CSS had not yet requested from the ministry the estimated $458,000 in work on its 26 affected buildings.

The Journal made access to information requests to the CSS to get a clear idea of ​​the damage, which ranges from “total loss” gymnasiums to books having to be thrown away.

The Laval CSS is by far the most affected, with damages amounting to $1.9 million. No fewer than 42 schools on Île Jésus were affected.

Where are the flaps?

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education is subtracting more than $400 million from the sums allocated to building maintenance for the year 2024-2025, denounces Éric Pronovost, president of the Fédération du personnel de support scolaire (FPPS- CSQ), which notably represents janitors and technicians in several regions.

“These are staggering losses,” not to mention all the “collateral damage,” he explains.

At Cité-des-Jeunes secondary school in Vaudreuil, a tunnel was heavily flooded. Three months later, some premises are still inaccessible.

“Have we assessed whether our schools are in flood zones? We put backflow preventers in our homes. But there are a lot of schools that don’t have that,” observes the one who denounces the lack of prevention.

With climate change, this type of extreme event is likely to occur more often. By 2050, damage to buildings could quintuple and annual costs for the entire country could exceed $13 billion, the Climate Institute of Canada estimated in its 2021 report.

“It’s very worrying and we need to start dealing with it,” insists Mr. Pronovost.

Additionally, “subcontractors” are usually called in to do the cleaning and repair work during the summer. “Eight times out of ten, you have to redo the work afterwards,” he notes.

SOME EXAMPLES OF DAMAGE

Premises still inaccessible

Cité-des-Jeunes School, Vaudreuil-Dorion

Cost: unknown at this time

A tunnel at the school and administrative center was heavily flooded.

Computer servers were affected, others had to be moved by employees returning urgently, illustrates Éric Pronovost. Some premises are still inaccessible due to the work, confirms the CSS des Trois-Lacs.

14 feet of water

Saint-Laurent secondary school, Montreal

Émile-Legault Building

Cost: $1 million

This was the school that suffered the most costly damage.

The mechanical room was invaded by 14 feet of water, explains Mélanie Simard of CSS Marguerite-Bourgeoys. Back-up systems had to be put in place for heating, air conditioning and ventilation. The gymnasium floor had to be removed and decontaminated.

Lost musical instruments

Ozias-Leduc School, Mont-Saint-Hilaire

Cost: $150,000

Water infiltrated through a door sill into the music dome, we can read in the documents obtained. The floor covering, the gypsum walls, the structure of the stands were affected, as were school equipment and musical instruments.

Mud in the premises

L’Escale Secondary School, Louiseville

Cost: $100,000

The Little Loup River, in Mauricie, burst its banks and mud invaded the school premises. In addition to cleaning, drying work and replacing furniture, it was necessary to pay employees who were not on duty, we can read in the complaint obtained by The Journal.

Goodbye, book collections

Saint-Jean-Baptiste School, Longueuil

Cost: $27,500

Due to backflow, cameras, calculators and computer chargers in particular had to be discarded, we can see in the inventory of discarded equipment. Around sixty books and dictionaries were also damaged, including classics like Animal Farm or Sherlock Holmes.

Total loss gym

École Beacon Hill, Beaconsfield

Cost: $73,000

The Lester B. Pearson school board made a claim for “a gymnasium floor at Beacon Hill school (which is a total loss),” François Hamel said by email.