Chelsea, Que. declares state of emergency after Friday's torrential rain

The Municipality of Chelsea has declared a local state of emergency after heavy rainfall on Friday caused severe damage to some major roads.

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The municipality says the state of emergency will allow crews to evaluate damages and work quickly to restore roads to traffic.

Chelsea, Que. is located approximately 20 kilometres north of Gatineau. On Friday, remnants of Hurricane Debby brought 83 mm of rain to Gatineau and 75.8 mm to Ottawa's Experimental Farm.

The emergency declaration will be in place for at least 48 hours, according to the town's website.

As of Saturday afternoon, Chemin Hollow Glen and Chemin Fleury remain closed to traffic.

"Our teams are on site this morning to assess the work required to restore these roads as quickly as possible," the municipality said on its website.

Rain also caused damage to Chemin de la Montagne, Chemin Meech and Chemin Juniper. Traffic was restored to those roads on Friday evening.

The municipal public works team will be inspecting the road network to identify secondary roads, culverts, driveways and private roads near homes to ensure the safety of residents.

"Some roads may have sustained damage. Crews are patrolling the municipal territory to ensure the safety of municipal roads. Please be careful when travelling," the municipality said.

"We are aware that some driveways, private roads and trails are still obstructed. We are currently concentrating our efforts on restoring municipal roads, and this work will be assessed within a reasonable timeframe."

Gatineau Park beaches, roads closed

The National Capital Commission has closed Blanchet and O'Brien beaches at Meech Lake due to storm damage. The NCC says shuttle service to Gatineau Park is cancelled for the weekend and has closed the Champlain Parkway, between Fortune and Gatineau parkways, to all visitors.

Fortune and Gatineau parkways are open for cyclists and pedestrians only. 

Trail 5, south of P3 parking lot, is closed for hikers. All park trails are not recommended for use, as crews are still assessing damages.

In addition, P10, Dunlop, P11, P12 and P13 parking lots are closed.

Swimming is not recommended at three of the four City of Ottawa-run beaches due to high E. coli counts as of Saturday afternoon. Bacteria levels are at an acceptable range at Britannia Beach.

There is significant damage to some roads in the west, as West Carleton and Kanata experienced flooded roads and intersections, according to a memo from the city's director of Public Safety Service.

Drivers in Ottawa are encouraged to check the city's interactive traffic map for updates before hitting the roads this weekend.

With files from CTV News Ottawa's Toula Mazloum