Canadian soldiers joined flood-fighting efforts in southern Quebec Thursday as water rose to levels not seen in more than 140 years, UPI quoted officials as saying. Eric Doneys, a spokesman for Quebec's Public Safety Department told The (Montreal) Gazette Lake Champlain, south of Montreal and which straddles the New York border, is 3 feet higher than usual, something that hasn't been seen since 1869. The spring thaw, steady rain and several more inches forecast in coming days is also swelling the Richelieu River, and so far flooded 2,100 houses in 38 communities, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported. Quebec Premier Jean Charest made the request for military aid Wednesday and it was quickly approved in Ottawa. Thursday morning, some 500 soldiers and 100 reservists arrived to help with sandbagging, the CBC said. Several other rivers in southern Quebec were also threatening towns and the QMI Agency reported there had been scattered complaints of residents stealing sandbags from neighbors. -- SPA
