Vancouver –
With a large swath of the City of Abbotsford still under water on Wednesday, the monthly rainfall total confirmed what was readily apparent on the ground: The city had a historic rainfall last month.
Mayor Henry Braun said about 540 mm of rain fell on Abbotsford in November at a news conference on Wednesday afternoon.
“For people of my generation, it’s just over two meters of water over our entire city,” Braun said.
According to Armel Castellan, Canadian meteorologist for the environment and climate change, the total for the month was 99 mm higher than the previous record.
“(That’s) a big difference from the previous record,” said Castellan.
Braun says the total November rainfall is equivalent to about a third of what Abbotsford normally sees over the course of a year.
Much of that rainfall has ended up in Sumas Prairie, the eastern part of which has been underwater since the devastating atmospheric river hit the province in mid-November.
Flooding isn’t the only concern stemming from recent heavy rains and saturated soils. A townhouse complex off Whatcom on the Lower Sumas Mountains is dealing with the aftermath of a landslide over the weekend that left a block of houses empty.
Resident Colin Lundrigan said these units are currently still in an evacuation state, while others are on alert.
“We need to be ready to leave at any moment,” he said. “We think we’re in a pretty good position, but obviously that’s not the case for anyone living in British Columbia at this point, and especially not in the Fraser Valley.”
He said concern also remained about how more rain might affect a large rock near the top of the slope.
“We just hope that Mother Nature cooperates… and we make sure what’s above us here, and we can get through this before the colder weather arrives,” he said. It also added that working groups and volunteers helped clear debris and pack sandbags.
“We hope to dodge a bullet here, and be better off than a lot of other families. We just have to be grateful at least so far the damage has been minimized and steps are now being taken to remedy the situation. ”
On Wednesday, Braun reiterated that the former Lake Sumas, which make up the eastern part of the steppe, will likely remain flooded for “several weeks”.
Other areas – including Vye and Whatcom streets and part of Highway 1 through the city – will dry up sooner, but the mayor said there is no exact timetable for when they will reopen.
“I had no idea how long it would take,” Braun said. “I hope that’s the day.”
The mayor pointed to three pathways that are essential to allow the city to begin helping evacuees return home.
