Vancouver –
About 600 people have been forced from their homes in Abbotsford, BC, and while some evacuation orders are being lifted, many remain in place, the city’s mayor said in an update on Thursday. Year.
Mayor Henry Braun and emergency responders provided an update on the night’s developments. Dozens of people were rescued on Tuesday and Wednesday, with 11 more being rescued overnight.
Water is receding in some areas, but Braun warned the city “won’t get out of this situation with a long shot”, and some situations will become more complicated, especially when water is still flowing from Nooksack River flooded in Washington state.
“This is a situation that we are watching very closely,” Braun said. “The water has receded quite well in the last 24 hours in the west. But the Nooksack continues to cross the border … and that’s why the water is rising.”
Braun said he spoke to a farmer and noticed that the water level had actually risen 15 centimeters along the Intercity Highway, between 2nd and 3rd streets.
Hours later, the Abbotsford Police Department issued an emergency call on social media saying the water in the area east of Sumas Prairie was rising again.
“Roads that were once dry for an hour are now running water,” the department said. “We are seeing people disrespecting the fence and the direction of the police causing public safety concerns.”
RAIN IN THE FORECAST
Although rain is expected on Thursday, Braun said he’s more worried about the weather ahead.
“I’m not concerned about today’s rain. What I’m concerned about is next week and what’s to come. Expect 80 to 100 mm of rain next week, starting Tuesday,” he said. . “That’s what I’m concerned about if we don’t fix those breaches, because Nooksack could be up and running again.”
More water is still entering the city’s system than is being pumped out, Braun said.
“We need to do everything we can to prevent water from entering Sumas Prairie,” he said. “That water can’t go anywhere because that’s the lowest point. That water has to be pumped out with those Barrowtown pumps, that’s why they were installed.”
Braun said it estimates how long it will take for water to be pumped out of flooded areas.
“We’re not talking days. We’re talking weekly,” he said. “I just don’t know how many weeks.”
UP ORDER REVIEW
Evacuation orders in some areas are beginning to be lifted, mainly those with smaller, localized flooding, but officials warn residents not to get complacent.
“The local emergency continues to evolve and we will keep everyone updated as we can,” Braun said. “The safety of Abbotsford residents remains everyone’s priority.”
Abbotsford Police Chief Mike Serr said many roads “remain impacted.”
“People are becoming frustrated. They want to go through our city,” he said. “But we have to make sure through engineering and other things that our roads are safe.”
Braun said 40 people in the evacuation order areas had yet to leave their homes, adding that farmers in the city were “heavily devastated”.
“These farms are second, third, maybe even fourth generation farmers and they love their cattle, love their land and don’t want to move. I get that. ” said Braun. “They want to take care of their investments because a lot of them have lost their investments.”
An updated list of evacuation orders is available on the city’s website.
CONSULTING ON STEAM
For those still in the Sumas Prairie area, a boiled water advice is given. The city said “major uncontrollable water breaches” forced the crew to shut off the water at 9 p.m. on Tuesday. Until the water quality meets the regulations, the boil water notice will apply.
“Water availability across Sumas Prairie may be intermittent or completely unavailable for days as crews resume their work,” the city’s announcement said.
Details of the consultation are available on the city’s website.
