The Port-Cartier municipal wharf has been unusable since the violent storm of December 23rd and the access road was severely damaged by the powerful waves.
A lamppost was bent in half when it was hurled against a bollard used to moor ships.
An imposing pipe formerly used for a pulp mill has been moved several meters.
The rock wall that protects access to the municipal quay was affected. The path leading along it has been undermined by water several tens of meters deep. Vehicles are no longer allowed to drive there.
Significant sums of money must be invested to repair the damage.
“For that we need help from the Quebec government. We will check. Our people go to work tomorrow. This will be one of our priorities,” said the mayor of Port-Cartier during a site visit on Tuesday morning.
The Port-Cartier municipal wharf is little used in winter, but is occasionally used as a loading area for scrap metal and forest waste. Many also saw it as a host for wind turbine components in 2024.
“We need to repair this wharf. We hope that the components of the wind project will pass through the city’s quay,” said Alain Thibault.
Another area of concern caused by the storm is Rochelois beach. The water has almost reached street level and the surrounding apartment buildings. Fortunately, no damage was caused, but the storm has reignited a sense of urgency to protect community infrastructure and homes.
“Yes, people are worried. They fear the next storm. The sand on the beach has decreased,” noted Alain Thibault.
The profile of the dune in front of the road and the houses has been slightly changed. Will the next storm have more consequences? Mayor Alain Thibault does not want to wait any longer.
“During the night of December 23rd to 24th, I did not sleep all night. I thought of the citizens living nearby and was afraid to find out in the morning that people had passed by. I was worried. That puts the eyes back in front of the holes.”
In the past few years, the mayor has spoken out firmly against adding gravel to the beach to protect residential buildings and infrastructure. However, since this is the only way Port-Cartier could get financial support from Quebec, he changed his mind.
“Yes, I defended the beach, but on the other hand you have to be realistic at some point”
However, the charging of the beach is far from unanimous among the citizens who visit it.
“At some point we have to act,” said Tommy Lucas, a Port-Cartier resident whom TVA Nouvelles met on the beach. But we need decent solutions, not small round rocks that roll and collect in the sea and on which we will walk.
No one doubts the urgency of action, but the preferred solutions to deal with the storms have yet to spark debate.