Spring flooding in Ottawa-Gatineau, by the numbers

Statistics Canada is drawing a clearer picture of the extent of spring flooding in the Ottawa-Gatineau region.

Usingsatellite data from the Canadian Space Agencyand information from Natural Resources Canada, the federal agency hasput numbers towhat many families have beenexperiencing first-hand.

The information was gathered between April 20 and 30.

In Ottawa,2,196 dwellings were flooded or at risk of flooding in those 11 days, Statistics Canada said. Duringthe same period in Gatineau, 3,800 homes and cottages were affected.

The western Quebec community of Pontiac, where more than20 per cent of dwellings were affected by the spring flooding, was among the hardest hit.

• 'I fell apart': Pontiac flood victims struggling after forced evacuation

• Mandatory evacuations ordered in Pontiac

Data aids relief efforts

StatisticsCanada also calculated the impact the spring flooding has had on local roads.

More than 100 kilometres were flooded or put at risk, including 39 kilometres in Ottawaand 62 kilometres in Gatineau.

In addition to homes and cottages, the agency also calculated the breadth of the flooded land surface.

In Ottawa, 42 square kilometres were flooded, and in Gatineau 39 square kilometres were flooded.

Statistics Canada said the purpose ofcrunching the data is to determine how severe the flooding problem is and help identify where relief efforts need to be focused.

The agency says the data will also help decidewhere money should go for relief effortsand infrastructurerepair.