Saguenay, Quebec
Saguenay (/ˈsæɡəˌneɪ/ or /ˌsæɡəˈneɪ/; French pronunciation: [saɡne]) is a
city in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, on the Saguenay River, about 200 kilometres
(120 mi) north of Quebec City.
The city
of Saguenay constitutes a territory
equivalent to a regional county municipality its geographical code is 941. Together with
the regional county municipality of Le
Fjord-du-Saguenay, it
forms the census division (CD) of Le Saguenay-et-son-Fjord (94). The mayor of Saguenay is Jean Tremblay, who served as mayor of Chicoutimi before the merger. Prior to its
use as the name of the city, the term "the Saguenay" or (less
commonly) "Saguenay Valley" had already been used for the whole
Saguenay River region (see Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean). Saguenay is the seat of the judicial district of Chicoutimi
The city
is divided into three boroughs: Chicoutimi (which includes the former city
of Chicoutimi, as well as Laterrière and Tremblay township), Jonquière (which includes the former city
of Jonquière, Lac-Kénogami, and Shipshaw) and La Baie (which corresponds to the former
city of La Baie).
The Saguenay Flood (French: Déluge du
Saguenay) was a
series of flash floods that
hit the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, on July 19 and 20, 1996. It was
the biggest overland flood in 20th centuryCanadian history. Problems started after two weeks
of constant rain, which severely engorged soils, rivers and reservoirs. The Saguenay region is a
geological graben, which
increased the effect of the sudden massive rains of July 19, 1996. In the span
of a few hours, 11 inches (280 mm) of rain fell on the region, the
equivalent to the amount of rain usually received in a month.
Over 8 feet (2.4 m) of water ran through parts
of Chicoutimi and La Baie, completely levelling an entire
neighbourhood. Over 16,000 people were evacuated. The official death tolls were
seven deaths, but other sources (notably Canadian Geographic) cite ten.
Estimates reach CAD $1.5 billion in damages, a cost made greater by the
disaster's occurrence at the height of the tourist season. Post-flood enquiries
discovered that the network of dikes and dams protecting the city was
poorly maintained. In the end, 488 homes were destroyed, 1,230 damaged and
16,000 people evacuated from the entire area, with ten deaths in the mudslides produced by the incredible
rain.A small white house (referred to in French as La petite maison
blanche, "The little white house") that stood unharmed while torrents
of water flowed around it became the symbol of the flood. It has been preserved
as a historical park and museumcommemorating the flood,and
despite a fire in 2002 remains standing today.
An unexpected effect of the flood was to cover the
heavily contaminated sediments at
the bottom of the Saguenay and Ha! Ha! Rivers
with 10 to 50 centimetres (3.9 to 19.7 in) of new, relatively clean
sediments. Research has shown that the old sediments are no longer a threat
to ecosystems.
Tours
We were greeted with fanfare when we arrived at Saguenay as they celebrated the arrival of cruise ships to the city. Many of the residents dressed up and were waiting on the dock and a band greeted our arrival.
Our tour of Saguenay and the heritage route included a drive along Rue Racine and the old port, a stop at the cultural quarter, the Little White House that survived the flood in 1996 and as visit to the Sir William Price Museum.
In the afternoon we took a seaplane flight over the fjord and were able to see from the air some of the wonderful autumn colours that the trees were turning.
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