Flood-affected Abbotsford not in the clear but mayor optimistic as Fraser River levels drop
Posted November 17, 2021 6:49 am.
Last Updated November 17, 2021 3:47 pm.
UPDATE: The City of Abbotsford will give an update on the flooding situation at 4 p.m. Wednesday
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A dire situation in Abbotsford has also brought the community together, with hundreds of volunteers showing up Tuesday night to help fill sandbags amid major floods at the Barrowtown Pump Station.
Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun says while his community is not out of the woods yet, there was some progress in relieving the pressure thanks in part to the efforts Tuesday night.
As of Wednesday morning, he says the Fraser River water level has dropped two metres within a 24 hour period.
“Right now things are just holding steady since last night,” he said.
One man who joined volunteering efforts to fill sandbags at the Barrowtown Pump Station says groups began showing up shortly after Braun made a desperate plea Tuesday night, asking people in the Sumas Prairie area to leave their homes immediately amid an evacuation order.
Braun said at the time there was the potential the pump station — a critical piece of infrastructure — could fail. That, he explained, could result in water from the Fraser River entering the already flooded are of Abbotsford, only adding to the emergency.
Read more: ‘Nothing is worth your life’: Abbotsford mayor pleads with people to evacuate Sumas Prairie
But things are now trending in the right direction, with Braun saying Wednesday if the river drops another metre, floodgates at the facility can be opened, relieving pressure at the station.
“Our pumps were designed for a specific capacity. While the situation remains critical at this time, the Barrowtown Pump Station is operating at its full capacity, but was never intended or designed to take on water from another country,” he said in his latest update, referring to floodwaters pouring into his community from the Nooksack River in the U.S.
Braun says he is in constant contact with government officials, who stand ready to assist where needed.
“I want to be very clear here: It was our decision not to activate the provincial Alert Ready system for the whole city of 162,000 people at that time. We wanted to contact directly the 300 people who live in Sumas Prairie, and those 300 people all know there’s an emergency by just looking outside their window, so we didn’t want to alarm the whole city,” Braun said of when floods forced evacuation orders.
Hundreds in Abbotsford help fill sandbags around Barrowtown Pump Station
Erik says he and a friend arrived at the Barrowtown Pump Station to help around 10 p.m. after seeing a Facebook post about others heading to the pump station.
“At about 12 a.m. sandbagging started and there was probably 250 people,” he told CityNews. “We formed three lines and spent just over three hours building a wall. Heavy equipment worked on (the) more accessible north end of the station and continued to do so overnight.”
— Erik Dv (@erikdv) November 17, 2021
The fire department is said to have helped get everything organized, setting up three massive lines of people to shuttle sandbags toward a wall on the south side of the pump station.
Erik recalls staff at the pump station describing how quickly the water rose in the area, noting some spilled into the facility.
The Barrowtown Pump Station in Abbotsford is surrounded by water as floods continue to push levels higher. (Courtesy Twitter/Erikdv)
He says while dozens of people showed up, many more wanted to help too — though parking and access were limited.
“It was interesting to see the community come together so quickly, many of them being local Chilliwack farmers,” he said, noting the pump station, which is in Abbotsford, primarily serves Abbotsford.
Erik adds a Chilliwack community Facebook group he admins with nearly 20,000 members was filled with posts asking how others could support the effort. Erik tells CityNews he was later asked to tell Facebook group members not to come to the station.
— Erik Dv (@erikdv) November 17, 2021
Abbotsford police took to Twitter after volunteers showed up at the station to ask that people stay away.
“Crews on site are seeing the public arrive in this area which is hampering emergency operations currently underway,” the tweet, posted shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday, reads.
At his news conference Wednesday,
‘Thank you for coming and aiding us’
Braun extended his gratitude to those who came out to help.
“Through the night, many volunteers, staff and contractors, and our partner organizations were able to build a dam … to protect the pump station and buy us some time, and that has happened,” the mayor said.
“I want to thank the volunteers who came out. I think there was roughly 300 people — retired firefighters, retired army personnel, contractors, volunteers, mostly I think from the Chilliwack side, but I’m sure that there was also farmers in that mix. I know some of them, I don’t know all of them, but I want to thank each and every one of you for doing what you did and coming to assist our staff who came up with a plan that would buy us some more time.”
Braun promised to find out exactly who these volunteers are and to thank them personally one day.
“For now, on behalf of the City of Abbotsford and its residents, thank you for coming and aiding us through the night.”
Abbotsford @MayorHenryBraun says Barrowtown Pump operating at full capacity. Thanking about 300 people who came out to build a dam through the night to protect it, “buying” city some time. Stresses it was city decision not to send out emergency alert. @CityNewsVAN pic.twitter.com/PkePTZHqrz
— Monika Gul (@MonikaGul) November 17, 2021
On Tuesday, Braun admitted the water levels in his community were unlike anything he had ever seen before.
“Additional water flow down from Sumas Mountain is also now creating further flooding in the area. This event is anticipated to be catastrophic,” he said during the Sumas Prairie update.
He stressed the importance of the pump station but urged those in evacuation areas to leave while they still had time.
“If those pumps go down — and that’s an if — there’s nowhere for that water to go so people will be incredibly surprised how quickly the situation will develop,” Braun added.
