Every year in Québec, municipal authorities receive dozens of reports of landslides and ground movement. Landslides occur most often in spring and fall, in clayey soils (clay) and along streams. Their frequency can increase during extreme weather events, such as heavy rainfall.
Learn about the risk of landslides in your area on the landslide hazard map (in French only).
Contact your municipality if your home is in a high-risk area before undertaking work that could increase ground instability, including the following:
Backfilling (to bring a mass of material and compact it to create an elevation, level a ground, fill a cavity)
Putting in an above-ground pool
Storing materials near the top of a slope
Undercutting an embankment (excavation of land to level a yard or expand a courtyard)
Digging out the bottom of an embankment to put in a shed or an in-ground pool
Allowing water to drain at the top of a slope or onto an embankment, for example, to drain a pool or aim a roof downspout
Report anything suspicious that happens on your lot to municipal authorities—things like cracking or bulging on a slope, slumping, or unusual water seepage from a slope.
Be ready to respond quickly by having an updated household emergency plan and an emergency kit for home.
Evacuate your home if it’s been damaged, if you’re in danger or if you’re instructed to do so by authorities. If you don’t know where to go, contact your municipality. For more details, see Evacuate your home.
If you’re indoors
Go to the end of your home opposite the approaching landslide and crouch down under a solid piece of furniture.
Find something solidly attached and hold on to it firmly until all movement stops.
If you’re outdoors
Get out of the path of the landslide right away. Stay clear of the banks of streams, trees, power lines and power poles.
Don’t go near slide area. The ground may still be unstable.
If you’re driving
Watch out for collapsed pavement and other signs of possible road damage from sliding mud, rocks or other debris.
Returning to normal after a landslide
Stay away from the landslide area until the authorities say it’s safe. Stay away as well from damaged public utilities like gas lines and electrical infrastructure.
If the authorities allow it and it’s safe to do so, you can return to your home. Go back during the day so that problems and hazards will be easier to see.
Make a list of the damage and take pictures or video as documentation. Notify your municipality, insurance company and mortgage holder. Keep all your receipts and proofs of purchase for damaged property in case you need them for claims.
Keep an eye on how you and your loved ones are responding. Watch for the following:
Anxiety, distress or frequent crying
Apathy or lack of energy
Aggressiveness
Difficulty concentrating or confusion
Increased use of alcohol or drugs
Help is available. Professional social and psychological workers are available to provide support and counselling or refer you to the resources you or your loved ones need. Call Info-Social by dialling 811 and selecting option 2 to talk to one of them. It’s free, confidential and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.