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SAINT FRANCOIS, N.B. - A local state of emergency was declared Sunday for northwest New Brunswick as authorities rushed to evacuate residents from their cottages.

The declaration by New Brunswick's minister of public safety, John Foran, came as 74 people from the the Glasier Lake area were airlifted to an arena in the nearby village of Saint Francois.

Tim Porter, a spokesman for the province's Emergency Measures Organization, said the declaration will assist officials in controlling the unsafe areas and help keep people safe.

Porter said evacuees were airlifted Sunday, with the help of a Canadian Forces search and rescue Cormorant helicopter. Foran was expected to meet with the evacuees Sunday evening.

Porter said that the helicopter made six airlifts over about eight hours on Sunday. About 70 people were believed to be in the cottages in the area.

Porter said the people were removed from cottages above a "significant washout" in an area near Highway 205, that will take "several weeks" to repair.

"They are not going to be able to get out by road for several weeks so if they're coming out, they're going to have to be airlifted out," he said.

"We feel confident that all the cottages have been contacted," said Porter.

RCMP reported the bulk of the rain that fell overnight Saturday and into Sunday affected secondary roads off Highway 205 in areas outside the villages of Saint Francois and Connors near the borders with Quebec and Maine.

Heavy rain in the region is believed to have caused a road collapse on Saturday near Lac Long in the Temiscouata region of Quebec. A mother and son are missing and presumed drowned after the road collapsed and plunged their car into a lake.

The driver was able to escape but his partner and nine-year-old son were trapped in the vehicle. Police were continuing their search on Sunday.

The heavy rain also caused flooding in eastern Montreal closing two highways and forcing the evacuation of homes and a shopping centre on Saturday afternoon. Residents in the Anjou and St. Leonard districts were cleaning up after 30 to 50 cm of rainfall flooded their basements.

Doris Blanchard, regional co-ordinator for emergency measures in the Glasier Lake area, says some smaller rivers near the lake rose anywhere from six to nine metres during the rainfall, helping to wash out roads and a bridge on Highway 205.

He estimated about 200 people in all were immediately affected by the rising water.

"People are not necessarily in danger as far as flooding, they are just cut off from civilization," said Blanchard.

Saint Francois Mayor Raoul Cyr said residents outside the village limits are dealing with the affects of flooding that's worse than what was seen this spring.

He said in an area about 15 kilometres outside the village close to 100 millimetres of rain fell in just hours.

"This spring the water was about two metres higher than we've ever seen and the water was just running under the bridge. Apparently last night it went over the bridge," said Cyr.

The mayor said the village's emergency plan utilizes resources from the Red Cross and any evacuees that required accommodation would likely be put up in a local school.

Meanwhile, Porter said officials were dealing with two washouts along Highway 205 - one about three kilometres above Saint Francois and the most serious about 19 kilometres above the village.

He said the majority of the people affected live between the two washouts, with an estimated 40 people isolated above the second break in the highway.

"The Department of Transportation is hopeful that the washout closest to the village will be repaired by this evening and that will enable most of the area residents to travel freely," said Porter.

But officials cautioned the situation could change with more rain.

The Emergency Measures Organization issued a flood advisory Sunday for people living in the north and central parts of New Brunswick.

Residents were asked to watch for elevated water levels caused by "significant increases in water flows."

Further rainfall of 20 to 75 millimetres was expected through Monday.

(By Keith Doucette in Halifax)