‘We have to stop this water’: Abbotsford building levee as military arrives to assist
Posted November 18, 2021 6:37 pm.
Last Updated November 19, 2021 7:07 pm.
With more rain in the forecast and water continuing to pour into the Sumas Prairie, the City of Abbotsford is in a race against time to get a levee built to stop the flooding.
In an update Thursday afternoon, Mayor Henry Braun explained the breach in one of the dikes spans 100 metres.
“The water is still coming in,” he said. “We have to stop this water.”
The 2.5-kilometre-long levee will be built to stop water pouring across Highway 1. Braun said there are homes where construction is planned, and those homes will be lost.
“I think between six and 12,” he said. “One house too much and if it was my house, I’d be concerned too. There is not many options here.”
Current conditions along Highway 1 east of Cole Road. Water levels are still very high in this area. pic.twitter.com/DlpNzEtW3J
— Abbotsford Police Department (@AbbyPoliceDept) November 19, 2021
Affected homeowners have not yet been notified because the plan was finalized less than an hour before the press conference announcing it, according to Braun.
Construction is set to start Friday morning, but rain is in the forecast for next week.
“This event is not over by any means. I am concerned about the rain that is coming, another 80 to 100 millimetres beginning on Tuesday. We have to finish this work like yesterday,” Braun said.
Plans are being made so work crews can get in safely, and equipment and supplies are ready to be sent in.
Related Stories:
-
‘Not out of this by a long shot’: Abbotsford flooding remains critical
-
Cows swim to safety as farmers urged to leave livestock behind
-
Abbotsford poultry farmer forced to leave thousands of chickens to die
Braun also explained the scope of the area affected, saying while it makes up 25 per cent of the City of Abbotsford, at 90 square kilometres, it is roughly the size of the entire city of Burnaby.
While nearly 600 people have been evacuated, 300 have sought support at the evacuation centre and 60 will be sleeping at the Tradex Centre Thursday.
“We know this is a very stressful time for these people,” he said, adding it is not safe for anyone to return while repeating his plea for those remaining to leave immediately.
“The situation remains critical here in Abbotsford and we understand that people are desperate to get home to their property and to their livestock. Like with all emergencies, it is vitally important for people to heed the advice of our emergency officials and follow the orders that are in place in order to ensure their safety and the safety of our first responders.”
According to the Abbotsford Police Department, some help was on the way for left-behind livestock Thursday evening, as two feed trucks have been permitted to go into the evacuation zone.
Within the last hour with changing conditions, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Fisheries in conjunction with the Ministry of Transportation & City of Abbotsford has issued a permit to the first two feed trucks to enter the evacuation zone. #strengthincommunity pic.twitter.com/V6wo7KsGiK
— Abbotsford Police Department (@AbbyPoliceDept) November 19, 2021
Regarding those who haven’t yet left, Braun says he worries they are underestimating how high the water is in other parts of the Sumas Prairie where some buildings are almost entirely underwater.
“People who only see their own property have no idea what’s going on around them,” he said.
“There’s already barns where it’s up to the top of the wall, it’s approaching the top of the roof. People can’t see that because they themselves can’t get in there but we can see it from aerial reconnaissance.”
Related Video:
Sandbagging at the Barrowtown Pump Station will continue, which still can’t keep up with the amount of water pouring in.
“They can pump 500,000 gallons a minute, but that is nowhere near enough,” Braun said.
Just two days ago, the city said a failure of the pump station seemed imminent, and would be “catastrophic.” So far, that hasn’t happened, thanks in part to a massive volunteer effort that saw people fill and stack sandbags at the facility, creating a dam and keeping water out.
Federal defence Minister Anita Anand said earlier in the day Thursday, that military helicopters and planes have already been assisting with rescues and evacuations, while soldiers will start to arrive as early as Thursday afternoon.
“At the days end and we will have approximately 120 soldiers on the ground in Abbotsford, British Columbia. And if needed, we have thousands more members on standby ready to help the province and British Columbians.”
An @RCAF_ARC CC130J from 436Sqn has departed Edmonton with members of @3CdnDiv3DivCA bound for Abbotsford to aid in #BCFloods relief. #OPLENTUS #BCStrong @CFOperations @CAFinUS @BCGovNews @MARPAC_FMARP pic.twitter.com/FDGaPj6D3H
— RCAF Operations (@RCAFOperations) November 19, 2021
The city was able to rescind its evacuation order for Huntington Village and the area west of Sumas Way between the U.S. border and north of Highway 1 on Wednesday.
“We know this is a significant commercial area and we are pleased for the businesses located along that corridor that will be able to begin the process of resuming their operations over the coming days,” Braun said at an earlier news conference. “The Huntington U.S. border crossing does remain closed at this time.”
It’s been a tumultuous and terrifying situation in the city, which, along with neighbouring Chilliwack, has already seen hundreds of people displaced and thousands of farm animals die.
With files from Lasia Kretzel and Claire Fenton
