Fraser Valley flooding expected to peak Friday, with more rain on the way
Flooding in B.C.'s Fraser Valley, caused by overflow from the Nooksack River in Washington state, is expected to reach its peak Friday, as highways and some schools remain closed and residents assess the damage.
Here is the latest:
Highway 1 is closed in both directions between Sumas Road and No. 3 Road.
DriveBC has a list of all road closures and reopenings.
Nearly 500 properties in Abbotsford remain under evacuation order and another 1,000 are on alert.
All schools in Abbotsford and Chilliwack are closed Friday, but classes are in for Fraser-Cascade schools.
On Friday, only one flood warning remained in place for the Sumas River.
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for more rainfall this weekend and into next week.
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The B.C. River Forecast Centre still has a flood warning in place for the Sumas River, including spillover from the Nooksack River.
But it has ended a flood warning for the lower Fraser River, including its tributaries in areas around Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Hope and east through Manning Park.
The centre also ended a flood warning for Similkameen River tributaries including headwater tributaries at and upstream of Princeton and the Tulameen River.
Officials say water levels in Washington state were already receding, but floodwaters being pushed north into B.C. and the Sumas Prairie area were expected to keep rising overnight and peak sometime Friday morning.
More rain coming
Environment Canada has ended rainfall warnings but issued a special weather statement, saying more rainfall is coming “for the already saturated Fraser Valley.”
It says there will be relatively light rain in the region Friday before another system moves into the area Saturday night, “followed by a potentially significant push of moisture Monday and into early next week.”
The B.C. River Forecast Centre says a few days of lighter rain could help create room in many of B.C.’s waterways that are already at or near flooding levels.
Meanwhile, officials in places like Abbotsford are urging residents to stay away from flood waters and be mindful of road closures.
What has the damage been?
The Transportation Ministry says it is beginning to assess the damage left behind from the flooding.
It says Highway 3 connecting Hope to Alberta has been "severely undermined" and is closed. About 23 sites along that roadway have suffered damage from rockfalls, debris and culvert undermining.
Fraser Valley Search and Rescue operators are pictured in a flooded field on Thursday. Farms had to be evacuated amid the floods this week. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
B.C. Agriculture Minister Lana Popham said at a provincial news conference on Friday that 68 farms are included in evacuation orders, while 98 were on evacuation alert.
She confirmed that "a couple" of poultry barns were lost overnight due to flooding, some other animals had to be moved and the province's plant, animal health centre, which tests for things like avian flu was flooded and needs to close for December.
Popham said testing would continue with help from other provinces.
“Testing will still get done," she said.
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Homeowners are dealing with damage too.
Mike and Stacey Yost, who live in Abbotsford near to the border crossing, say around 1.5 metres of water flooded their home on 1 Avenue, forcing them to stay in a hotel.
A flooded house is pictured in Sumas Prairie West on Thursday, part of the same region that was underwater in 2021. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
“We’re completely under water," said Stacey Yost. “Absolutely stressed out, and I don’t know what is going to happen in the next few days.”
Patti MacAhonic, the Fraser Valley Regional District Area E director, has lived in Chilliwack for 30 years and said this is her third round of flooding.
A creek near her home brought about 25 centimetres of water into her yard and up into her garage. She said most impacted residents are now in recovery mode, but are unsure what may come next.
“They’re just kind of trying to take care of any damage that has been done and get ready for more rain.”
Provincial officials say that all search-and-rescue operations in the Fraser Valley have been successful. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Officials at the provincial update said there had been no reported injuries related to the flooding so far and that all search-and-rescue deployments, including one in the Chilliwack River, had been successful.
They did not say how many total rescues have been undertaken.
Abbotsford mayor blasts feds
The mayor of flood-struck Abbotsford says he is "disappointed and frustrated" with the federal government over "inaction" on cross-border flooding that has repeatedly inundated his city.
Ross Siemens says he has not been contacted by the federal government about this week's flooding.
Siemens told a news briefing that he's pleading for flood mitigation to be stepped up, and authorities across the border in Washington state also need to "wake up" and for the issue to part of an international treaty.
This article, written by Chad Pawson, was originally published for CBC News. It contains files from Nick Logan and The Canadian Press.