MONTREAL, Quebec - Debris-filled choppy waters on Monday kept divers from searching for a toddler and her stepfather who were swept away in a swollen Quebec river as the military battled to protect the flooded province.

Quebec was in the grip of historic flooding, forcing more than 1,500 people in 146 communities to flee their homes, officials said. Canada's federal government has deployed 1,650 troops and 250,000 sandbags to the inundated province, the officials said.

Montreal, Quebec's largest city, and several other municipalities have declared a state of emergency.